The Obesity Society

Obesity 2009

Mark Your Calendars for 2009!

The next Annual Scientific Meeting of The Obesity Society will be held in Washington, DC, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel and preparations for the meeting are already underway. Don't forget to mark your calendars and check back for announcements as they are made.

Call for Scientific Education Session Proposals Is Now Closed

The Call for Scientific Education Session Proposals closed January 6, 2009. Thanks to all who sent in session ideas to the Annual Planning Committee. The 2009 Call for Abstract Submissions will be opening mid-January, so stay tuned for key information on submitting your abstract.

Exhibitor Prospectus

This Month in Obesity

Featured articles in Obesity this month include:

Weight loss and sleep-disordered breathing

Sleep apnea is a common disorder among individuals with obesity, but even obese individuals without this condition are less likely to sleep soundly than those who are not obese. New research now suggests that even modest weight loss can yield substantial sleep dynamic improvements in severely obese individuals. Read the article to learn more.

Inverse Association Between BMI and Prefrontal Metabolic Activity in Healthy Adults

Obesity has been associated with a higher risk for impaired cognitive function, which most likely reflects associated medical complications (i.e., cerebrovascular pathology). However, there is also evidence that in healthy individuals excess weight may adversely affect cognition (executive function, attention, and memory). See the article for further details.

Metabolic Syndrome Web Focus

A cluster of conditions that occur together and increase the risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes, metabolic syndrome affects nearly 50 million Americans. Read more about the various medical conditions that make up what is commonly referred to as metabolic syndrome in this free collection of articles from NPG and learn more about this emerging epidemic.

Obesity Society members may access the journal Obesity online through a special link to the website maintained by our publisher, Nature Publishing Group.

Full Details

CME Programs on Obesity Online

Several slide deck programs launched as CME programs are available on The Obesity Society's Obesity Online education site:

These educational CME activities have been approved for AMA PRA credit. All CME activities on this site are available free of charge.

2008 Post-Meeting Information

The 2008 Obesity Society Annual Scientific Meeting held in Phoenix, October 3-7, 2008 met all expectations and more! With upwards of 2,000 attendees, this was the largest meeting yet for the society. Want to give us feedback on the meeting? Want to read some of the press stories arising from the meeting? Need CME information? You'll find more details here.

Kushner Elected President of The Obesity Society

At the annual scientific meeting, held in Phoenix, AZ, October 3-7, 2008, The Obesity Society named Robert Kushner, M.D., an internationally renowned obesity expert, as its new President.

Press Release

Details of 2008-2009 Council Changes

Fact or Fiction? Do You Know all the Facts About Obesity?

Listen to your heart. If you're obese, you could be at risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Fact or Fiction?

Lack of seatbelt use can be added to the list of risk factors associated with obesity.
Fact or Fiction?

Being overweight has little or no impact on calling in sick to work or school.
Fact or Fiction?

Fact or fiction? Do you know all the facts about obesity? Visit the FACT or FICTION page in Obesity to get the answers to these another common questions about obesity. Test your knowledge and brush up on some important findings in the field.

Weight Bias Task Force Fact Sheet

The Weight Bias Task Force fact sheet, Obesity, Bias, and Stigmatization, examines the serious and pervasive social consequences of being overweight and obese and addresses five key questions:

What is weight stigma?
Where does weight stigma occur?
What are the consequences of weight stigma?
How are children affected by weight stigma?
How can weight stigma be reduced?

The Practical Guide: Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults

This guide was developed in cooperation with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). It is based on the Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults: Evidence Report developed by the NHLBI Expert Panel.