2021 in review: Slovak Obesitology Association (SOA)
Our members in Slovakia carried out an impressive set of activities over the past 12 months, most notably the 3rd Congress of the Slovak Obesity Association and the 19th Slovak Congress on Obesity, which counted with international participation for a series of webinars.
In total more than 40 lectures were organised with more than 1700 registered participants, with a book of abstracts also being published. SOA members also organised a symposium on ‘Standard diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in the management of obesity in adults 2021 - the role of a multidisciplinary topic in the care of individuals with obesity’, as part of the 42nd Conference of the Slovak Society of General Practice.
Slovakian members rallied around World Obesity Day 2021 (also coinciding with the 6th Slovak Obesity Day) to produce a number of resources to be used by health professionals, students and the general public:
- Creation of ‘Obesity Alliance’, a board of experts from various specialties for overweight / obesity.
- An ‘Exercise for seniors‘ video prepared with the Centre for Physical Activity of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. Video is intended as a practical tool for general practitioners and education of their older patients.
- A document about the management of patients with obesity in the obesity clinic of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in cooperation with state television.
- The ‘Moving against obesity’ campaign with the cooperation of pharmacy students with the aim to increasing regular physical activity among the public.
In the realm of policy, the Slovak Ministry of Health published guidelines for the treatment and management of obesity: Standard diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines for comprehensive overweight/obesity management in adulthood; Standard diagnostic and therapeutic procedure for the surgical treatment of obesity in adulthood.
As well as the above there were publications, conferences, and collaborative activities with public health authorities, NCD societies and universities.