About us
Coalition of Obesity Policy Experts (COPE)
Established in 2022, the Coalition of Obesity Policy Experts (COPE) gathers leading obesity experts and thought leaders – including patients, healthcare professionals, and policy makers – working in collaboration to shape the future of obesity policy and practices.
Why COPE
The global prevalence of obesity has nearly tripled in the last 50 years
The global prevalence of obesity has nearly tripled in the last 50 years and is expected to continue rising this decade.1 All countries are currently affected by obesity.2 The Middle East, North Africa, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe have some of the highest rates of obesity worldwide, with percentages ranging from 20-40% of the total population.3, 4
Many factors contribute to this reality, including not recognising obesity as a disease, lack of research into prevention strategies for obesity, non-effective and siloed obesity prevention strategies and health promotion strategies, a belief that obesity is a personal failure rather than a complex disease, reluctance of policy-makers to address obesity, and an overall under-prioritisation of obesity.2, 5
It is anticipated that the continuing increase in obesity worldwide will hold back economic development and lead to high levels of stress on the health services of many countries.2 It is against this backdrop that COPE was established, initially focusing on the highly affected regions of Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, but with ambitions to expand globally.
References:
- World Health Organisation (WHO). 2022. Obesity and overweight. Available from: www.who.int/
[Accessed 05/07/2023] - World Obesity Federation. 2022. World Obesity Atlas. Available from: https://www.worldobesityday.org/
[Accessed 05/07/2023] - WorldAtlas. 2019. High Obesity Rates In The Middle East And North Africa. [Updated 11/04/2019]. Available from: https://www.worldatlas.com/
[Accessed 21/06/2023] - World Obesity Federation and the Gulf & Lebanon Recommendations Expert Group. 2020. Regional Recommendations for the Treatment and Management of Adult Obesity in the Gulf & Lebanon. Available from: https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/
[Accessed 05/07/2023] - World Obesity Federation. 2020. Obesity: Missing the 2025 global targets. Available from: https://www.worldobesityday.org/
[Accessed 05/07/2023]
Our Objectives
Reversing the trend in rising obesity rates
Set policy priorities
Unite leading obesity experts to develop consensus-driven policy recommendations to demonstrate the urgent actions needed to improve obesity policies and practices.
Raise awareness
Create accountability and help to demonstrate the changes needed in national and regional policies and legislative/non-legislative frameworks. Advocate for improved obesity care with the backing of all relevant stakeholders and key policy leaders.
Drive policy change
Partner with leading obesity organisations and influential policymakers to develop national action plans. Initiate projects and initiatives that support targeted policy change. Share best practices for achieving policy change, to learn from each other’s successes.
To read about the specific policy changes we want to see, visit our policy work page.
