Conference on the medical profession: New ways to combat obesity in Europe!

Conference on the medical profession: New ways to combat obesity in Europe!

An upcoming conference on primary care in Europe will take place from April 25th to 27th, 2025 in the border triangle of Luxembourg, Homburg and Strasbourg. The event is organized by several universities, including Saarland University as well as the universities in Luxembourg, Strasbourg and the Université de Lorraine. Around 200 participants, including young general practitioners and medical students, are expected. The aim of the conference is to get to know and discuss the diversity of medical practices in Europe.

The program starts on April 25th at the University of Luxembourg with various workshops. Topics include dermatological detection of skin cancer in different skin tones and dealing with increasing childhood obesity in primary care practices. Obesity in particular is a key issue, with recent reports showing that overweight children in Europe are increasing, which can lead to serious health consequences such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Almost one in three children in Europe is now overweight or obese, representing an urgent health crisis. This highlights the need for preventive approaches to promote healthy eating habits and support an active lifestyle, as recommended by the WHO.

Diverse topics and workshops

On the second day of the conference, which takes place in Homburg, other important topics are on the agenda. Protecting medical staff and patients from extreme heat and cultural influences on mental health conversations are covered. Another workshop is dedicated to communicating about death with patients and relatives, which is a sensitive but crucial topic in everyday medical practice.

In addition, the discussion also highlights national differences in primary care. In Germany, general practitioners carry out comprehensive examinations independently, while in France, specialized practices are responsible for this. These differences reflect the diverse work opportunities for family physicians in urban and rural areas, particularly in the Greater Region.

Pre-program and internships

A one-week preliminary program enables 55 doctors to complete internships in general practitioners' practices in the border triangle. This practical experience will help promote exchange between participants and develop a deeper understanding of the different approaches to patient care.

The European Union is now pursuing a comprehensive strategy against health-threatening obesity that involves several bodies. The High Level Group on Nutrition and Physical Activity and the Action Platform on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Health are working to develop specific measures, including for socially disadvantaged groups. This becomes urgent as 52% of adults in Europe are considered overweight or obese.

An upcoming WHO summit on obesity-related issues will take place in Croatia in 2023. It explains that only a few European countries with high prevalence of overweight and obesity have seen a decline. To meet this challenge, emphasizes Dr. Kremlin Wickramasinghe from the WHO emphasized the importance of actively promoting primary prevention and management of obesity in order to reduce the burden of noncommunicable diseases.

For further information about the upcoming conference, interested parties can contact Prof. Dr. med. Contact Fabian Dupont at Saarland University.