All people have the right to accurate, science-based, accessible and patient-informed information on obesity as a treatable chronic disease.
Specifically, people have the right to:
- Accurate, trusted information in culturally appropriate and easily understandable language that explains obesity as a complex chronic disease requiring personalized treatment.
- Accurate, trusted information about diet and lifestyle behavior changes that can improve health and prevent or reduce the risks associated with overweight and obesity.
- Accurate, trusted information about how to screen for overweight and obesity and how clinicians make their assessment and diagnosis.
- Accurate, trusted information about how obesity is treated across the care continuum and the different treatment options, ranging from lifestyle change counseling and FDA-approved anti-obesity medications to bariatric surgery.
- Free access to this information in clinics, health care offices, community-based organizations and through a wide variety of channels.
- Free access to accurate, trusted information on obesity care from reputable sources, including academic institutions, medical and public health organizations, advocacy groups, online patient communities, and community/state/federal government agencies.
- Free access to tools and resources to navigate through the challenges of managing a complex chronic disease.