Submitted by James Zervios….

The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), a more than 75,000 member-strong non-profit organization focused on improving the lives for people with obesity, has officially joined the Global Obesity Patient Alliance (GOPA). Founded in 2019, GOPA’s mission is to ignite and inspire global change for people living with and affected by obesity through supporting collaboration and advocacy around the world.

“With more than 650 million people affected by obesity worldwide, there is an inherent need for obesity patient organizations around the globe to unite and learn from each other. It is truly a privilege to get to work with organizations comprised of the most passionate obesity advocates representing different countries and cultures. The OAC is excited to be a part of GOPA and fight for individuals dealing with obesity and its many related issues, such as weight bias, limited access to care and more,” said Joe Nadglowski, OAC President and CEO.

Consisting of representatives from North American and European obesity patient organizations, GOPA has been created with a mutual goal in mind; to impact global change for people living with obesity. Additional members of GOPA include Adipositasforeningen (Denmark); Adipositaschirurgie Selbsthilfe Deutschland e. V. (Germany); European Coalition for People Living with Obesity – ECPO (Europe); Obesity Action Coalition – OAC (United States), Obesity Canada (Canada), and Obesity UK (United Kingdom).

“The formation of GOPA has been a tremendous step forward for people with obesity. We must work together to impact change in the areas that have a direct impact on the health and lives of individuals. We want to see a world with less obesity, but we want to equally see a world where people who live with obesity are treated fairly and have access to the care they need,” said Kristy Kuna, GOPA Secretariat.

Together, GOPA and its member organizations are focused on information sharing through collaboration, fostering advocacy around the globe, and amplifying the voice of the patient with obesity on a global scale. To learn more about GOPA, please visit www.GOPA.org, and to learn more about the OAC, please visit www.ObesityAction.org.