ECO 2026: European Obesity Management Competency Framework
Presenter : Contreras, F
A mixed-methods, consensus-informed initiative developed the European Obesity Management Competency Framework to address fragmented obesity education across Europe.
The final framework includes five domains and 28 core competencies with enabling competencies across foundational science, clinical care, communication and care environments, multidisciplinary practice, and system-based policy. It embeds obesity as a chronic disease, incorporates weight stigma as a determinant of care quality, and emphasises person-centred and multidisciplinary approaches. Benchmarking against existing frameworks and iterative refinement ensured alignment with contemporary evidence and education models. The framework supports consistent skill development and clinical application across healthcare settings.
The framework provides the first harmonised postgraduate competency model, enabling standardised training, reducing variability in care, addressing stigma, and supporting equitable, evidence-based obesity management across European healthcare systems.
European Obesity Management Competency Framework: Domains and Core Competencies
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Domain
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Key Competencies
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Foundation of obesity
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- Apply epidemiology, weight regulation, and obesity mechanisms in clinical and population care
- Assess biological, genetic, environmental, psychological, and treatment-related causes
- Recognize obesity as a chronic disease and manage using long-term care models
- Address stigma and biasimpactingcare delays and outcomes
- Consider variability in obesity to guide risk, prognosis, and treatment decisions
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Obesity Assessment, Clinical Care & Management
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- Perform clinical assessments aligned with patient needs, care context, and defined scope of practice
- Utilise validated tools for diagnosis, staging, and risk stratification of obesity and related complications
- Recognise and evaluate biological, behavioural, psychological, environmental, and iatrogenic determinants of obesity to guide management and referral pathways
- Integrate patient-reported outcomes and individual goals into clinical evaluation and therapeutic decision-making
- Implement evidence-based obesity management approaches across psychological, behavioural, nutritional, pharmacological, and surgical interventions
- Assess benefits, risks, adverse effects, limitations, and evidence strength for each treatment modality
- Integrate clinical findings to tailor management plans andidentifythe need for specialist referral or multidisciplinary team involvement
- Identifyand manage urgent or evolving obesity-related complications appropriately within the scope of practice
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Communication & Care environment
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- Exhibit respectful, non-stigmatising communication that recognises obesity as a disease
- Identify, evaluate, and address personal, professional, and systemic contributors to weight stigma within clinical practice
- Establish and sustain a care environment that upholds dignity, respect, and psychological safety
- Enable shared decision-making by integrating clinical evidence with patient values and lived experiences
- Adapt communication strategies in response to patient feedback and clinical outcomes
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Multidisciplinary & Integrated Care
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- Navigate and apply integrated obesity care pathways across healthcare settings
- Coordinate access toappropriate disciplinesaccording to patient needs
- Undertake or engage in care coordination roles within obesity care pathways asrequired
- Enhance multidisciplinary team (MDT) functioning by defining roles, referral thresholds, and responsibilities
- Assess the efficiency and effectiveness of multidisciplinary care delivery
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System-based Practice & Policy
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- Examine the social, commercial, and economic factors that shape obesity risk, access to care, and health outcomes
- Promoteequitable, needs-based access toevidence‑informed obesity care
- Assess policy and system‑level interventions, acknowledging their limitations, evolving evidence base, and context-specific differences
- Implement quality assurance and continuous improvement approaches within obesity services and care pathways
- Assistpatients in navigating healthcare systems, particularly those affected by structural, financial, or social barriers
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33rd European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026), 12th -15th May 2026, Istanbul, Turkey.
