The European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) is the leading professional organization dedicated to obesity research, education, and advocacy across Europe. Established in 1986, EASO serves as a federation of national obesity associations from 38 countries, representing a broad network of scientists, healthcare professionals, public health experts, and students. As a recognised Non-State Actor in official relations with the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe, EASO plays a pivotal role in shaping obesity-related policy, promoting evidence-based treatment strategies, and fostering collaboration across disciplines to address the complex challenges of obesity in Europe .
The Challenge
In 2018, the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) encountered significant obstacles in advocating for the recognition of obesity as a chronic disease within the NCD framework. The challenges included:
- Establishing a common understanding of obesity by policy actors and the WHO-EURO region health community: Extensive advocacy efforts were required to ensure obesity was included alongside other chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
- Improving health literacy for all and creating an accurate and precise language of obesity in the generally accepted language used for other major policy-prioritised chronic diseases.
- Combating misinformation and disinformation: There was a significant amount of misinformation and disinformation circulating about what obesity is, complicating efforts to embed it as a policy-prioritised chronic disease within the NCD Framework.
Solution:
Rebuttal Campaign to ensure Obesity sits at the relevant policy tables
Jacqueline devised and led a strategic rebuttal campaign in the context of policy agenda setting, aimed at countering misinformation, disinformation, and negative perceptions about obesity along the life course. The goal was to reset the narrative and influence policymakers to adopt a more accurate and favourable stance. The campaign was underpinned by the following pillars.
Organisational strategic change management: Acting at Senior Director level and reporting directly to the EASO Executive Director and Officers of the Board, Jacqueline put key governance and financial stability structures and mechanisms in place to allow effective and efficient resources for targeted impact in close collaboration with her direct Manager, EASO Executive Director, and the Officers of the Board.
Organisational Capacity-Building: Please place the Policy ChangeMaker Programme Logo here? The EASO Policy Changemaker Programme was established to ensure that the EASO health professional community could gain the confidence and competence to advocate for effective policies. This includes implementing regulatory and policy frameworks that prioritize obesity as a major non-communicable disease (NCD). The programme aimed to address gaps in obesity research and policy-making, enhance advocacy skills among stakeholders, and engage them in developing comprehensive national obesity plans. Comprising of:
- EASO Policy Clinics – a strategic policy mentoring programme personalised to the needs of individual EASO country members including Spain, Denmark and Turkey as well as more general workshops for all of the national association leaderships.
- Advocating on Obesity – An online experiential learning multistakeholder 6-session course which was open to all interested parties to learn through a fictitious case study, how to advocate in the “real world” for impactful policy change.
- EASO Policy Stakeholder Sessions: Online fireside chats on hot topics in policy that could impact how the EASO health practitioner, research and public health community took action to secure impactful change at all levels.
- Online Community Platform: The programme included the development and maintenance of an online platform to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing among EASO members
Rewriting the evidence-based narrative for obesity at policy level
Agenda Setting: This involved identifying key issues and ensuring they receive attention from policymakers. It includes structured ongoing collaborations with champion MEPs within the European Parliament and recognition within various sectors such as mobility, education, and culture.
Engagement and Literacy: Generating policy evidence to underpin the policy narrative and ensuring health literacy for all on the issue at national, EU, and WHO levels.
Impact:
- EASO and its national member organisations is now the de facto “go to” organisation for the institutional community within the EU and WHO EURO Region on obesity, from research policy agenda through to health service delivery frameworks.
- EASO Policy champions were able to make coordinated change at national level and feed into the EU and WHO EURO policy dialogues in a concerted and meaningful manner.
- EASO now holds Non-State Actor status directly with the WHO-EURO.
- The “core reference text” used by the European Institutions to talk about obesity were heavily worked on by the EASO Policy Working Group, established and coordinated by Jacqueline Bowman.
- The EASO Obesity Taxonomy is a “first in class” vocabulary that has been able to provide all stakeholders with an accurate and precise working vocabulary for obesity through the lens of the NCD policy framework.