The Heart Foundation recently launched an Australian-first clinical consensus statement on obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
In Australia, about two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese, placing them at increased risk of CVD including coronary heart disease, heart failure, and arrhythmias.
Although obesity is a leading, treatable cause of CVD and multimorbidity, it is often overlooked and undertreated in routine care. The new clinical consensus statement outlines the latest evidence, recommendations, and practical strategies for assessing and managing people living with overweight or obesity and established, or at high risk of, CVD.
Join our Chair, Professor Garry Jennings, and members of the clinical consensus expert taskforce to explore the new statement, including:
- Understanding overweight and obesity as chronic, modifiable drivers of CVD, including their impact on risk, multimorbidity and clinical outcomes.
- Practical approaches to assessing overweight and obesity in primary‑care, including BMI and related measures, and implications for risk assessment.
- Evidence-based behaviour modification strategies, including nutrition and physical activity, to support weight management and improve cardiovascular outcomes.
- The role of pharmacotherapy and surgical interventions, including pharmacotherapy with demonstrated cardiovascular benefit, indications for metabolic bariatric surgery, and referral and shared-care considerations.
- Lifelong, integrated and person-centred care to manage overweight/obesity and optimise cardiovascular health, including for priority populations.
The program features one hour of live presentations and a 30-minute Q&A with opportunity to pre-submit questions. Tune in for practical, evidence-based guidance to support primary care professionals to assess and manage obesity in the context of CVD.
This activity is approved by RACGP for 1.5 Educational Activity hours (CPD) #1610197