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Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, Adolescents and Children in Australia

The Australian Government through the Department of Health and Ageing has commissioned the NHMRC to review the 2003 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, Adolescents and Children (the Guidelines).

Alongside the review of the current Guidelines, the Department of Health and Ageing is developing a Healthy Weight Guide to provide consumers with advice on how to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. This Guide will be based on the evidence collated for the Guidelines, and other recent literature reviews.

Purpose

The revised Guidelines will provide detailed evidence based recommendations for assessing and managing overweight and obesity in adults, adolescents and children. The Guidelines will also highlight health risks associated with overweight and obesity, aiming to improve health outcomes for people with chronic disease through evidence based clinical practice.

Scope

The Guidelines make recommendations regarding the management of individuals who have a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25.0 m/kg2 and are at risk of an obesity related co-morbidity or currently have at least one co-morbidity.

Target audience

The Guidelines are intended for use by general practitioners, general practice nurses, primary care health professionals and allied health professionals.

Obesity Guidelines development process

A multidisciplinary committee is responsible for developing the Guidelines' recommendations. The development process is undertaken in accordance with the Procedures and Requirements for meeting the 2011 NHMRC Standard for Clinical Practice Guidelines (the 2011 NHMRC Standard) which involves a review of existing evidence. Where evidence is lacking, expert opinion is sought and recommendations are made using a consensus based process.

Obesity Guidelines Development Committee

In November 2010, the NHRMC established a multidisciplinary Steering Committee to oversee the development of the Guidelines.

Name

Organisation

Prof Michael Frommer

Committee Chair

Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning)

Professor, School of Public Health
The University of Sydney

Dr Dale Ford

Medical Director

Otway Division of General Practice, Victoria

Board Member

Australian Primary Care Collaborative Advisory Committee

Dr Tammy Kimpton

General Practitioner

Scone Medical Practice, New South Wales

Board Member

Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association

Prof Mark Harris

Professor of General Practice

Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity

University of New South Wales

Member Quality Committee

Royal Australian College of General Practice

Ms Kay Gibbons

Head of Nutrition Services

Royal Children’s Hospital, Victoria

Fellow

Dietitians Association of Australia

Mrs Marion Goodman

Practice Nurse

Barton Lane Practice, New South Wales

Member

Australian Practice Nurses Association

Ms Helen Mikolaj

Consumer Representative

Member

Consumer Health Forum

Prof Joseph Proietto

Professor of Medicine

Austin Health

University of Melbourne

Director

Weight Control Clinic

Austin Health

Prof Ian Caterson AM

Boden Professor of Human Nutrition

Director, Boden Institute of Obesity Nutrition Exercise and Eating Disorders

University of Sydney

Dr George Hopkins

Laparoscopic, General and Obesity Surgeon

Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Queensland

Obesity Surgery Society of Australia & New Zealand

Dr Matt Sabin

Paediatric Endocrinologist

Royal Children’s Hospital

Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Victoria

Assoc Prof Susan Byrne

Associate Professor

School of Psychology

University of Western Australia

Staff

Name

Organisation

Ms Stephanie Goodrick

Research Scientist
NHMRC

Ms Amy Goodwin

Project Officer
NHMRC

Timeline

The Guidelines are expected to be completed by mid-2013.

Public consultation

Public Consultation on the draft Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, Adolescents and Children closed on 4 May 2012.

To view the submissions, visit the NHMRC Public Consultation website.

Contact details

For further information:

email:

obesityguidelines@nhmrc.gov.au

phone:

(03) 8866 0400

 

Page reviewed: 22 March, 2013