13 Sep 2017 Association for the Study of Obesity UK Congress 2017
The Association for the Study of Obesity held its 4th UK Congress on Obesity last week, in the scenic hills on Pontypridd, University of South Wales. Founded in 1967, the ASO has become the UK’s foremost charitable organisation dedicated to the understanding, prevention and treatment of obesity. The ASO aims to develop an understanding of obesity through the pursuit of excellence in research and education, the facilitation of contact between individuals and organisations, and the promotion of action to prevent and treat obesity.
The congress took place from the 7th-8th September, with up to 200 delegates attending the event. There was some excellent and exciting research presented by PhD students from North West Universities. The University of Liverpool presented some interesting work around the portion size effect, plate clearing tendencies and renormalizing portion sizes, which tied in very nicely to the news story released that morning regarding Royal Society of Public Health report, estimating industry upsell 330kcal per week to consumers. Manchester Metropolitan University also presented an interesting study of the effects of brisk walking on appetite and gastric emptying.
There were also some excellent talks from Caroline Cerny, Alliance Lead at the Obesity Health Alliance of whom Food Active are a member of. She highlighted the importance of NGOs in advocating for comprehensive prevention policies and population based interventions. Furthermore, the poster exhibition during the lunchtime break showcased the best current research in the field of obesity, health and diet across different research departments, centres and universities in the UK.
One of the key take home message of the day was the importance of strengthening and widening the evidence base around obesity. It is vital we continue to do so across the country to ensure there is robust evidence to advocate for policy change.
The date for next year’s congress is already confirmed for the 6th-7th September 2018, held in Newcastle University with the theme of “Preconception to Pension: Obesity through the Life Course’. Congratulations to the ASO for organising such an informative and fantastic event.
