NOVA Medical School (NMS) will mark World Obesity Day, celebrated on March 4, with a series of initiatives open to the entire community, aimed at raising awareness of the importance of obesity as a disease, highlighting its multifactorial complexity and the impact of the stigma associated with obesity on progress in treating this disease.
NMS Obesity Week, which runs from March 4 to 8 at the Faculty's headquarters in Lisbon, is an initiative funded by the European Coalition for People living with Obesity (ECPO), through a grant awarded to Gabriela Ribeiro, Professor of Nutrition and Metabolism at NMS, to coordinate this national event that is part of a global campaign.
The activities open to the community include the possibility of trying on a suit that simulates a 30kg weight gain, providing a realistic experience of the difficulties experienced by patients with obesity, in an initiative carried out in partnership with the Association of People with Obesity (ADEXO).
On Wednesday, March 6, during the morning, as part of NOVA Medical School's nutrition consultation service, free nutritional screenings will be held for the entire population, subject to prior registration (here).
Also as part of NMS Obesity Week, a practical Culinary Medicine Workshop will be held at the NMS Kitchen Lab on March 15, aimed at patients with obesity or who have had obesity, also free of charge, but subject to prior booking (here).
On April 19, there will be a scientific event focused on the relationship between obesity and mental health, with renowned speakers such as Harriët Schellekens, Professor in the Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience (University College Cork) and principal investigator at Food for Health Ireland (FHI) and APC Microbiome Ireland.
World Obesity Day Europe 2024, which takes place on March 4, brings together health professionals, obesity patients and the political community committed to raising awareness of obesity as a disease.
It is an initiative of the European Coalition for People Living with Obesity (ECPO) and is aligned with World Obesity Day, which is celebrated worldwide on the same day.