Obesitas: een zorg voor ons allemaal

The Dutch College of General Practitioners (Dutch acronym: NHG) recently published a summary of their practice guidelines for the treatment of obesity in this journal. In the Netherlands, these guidelines form part of an integrated approach towards the prevention and management of obesity. The management section approaches obesity as a chronic disease that requires self-management by the patient with support from the healthcare system. The aim of treatment is improved quality of life and societal participation. Weight loss of 5-10% is an indicator of the success of the management strategy; this is accompanied by improvement in health and a substantial reduction of the risk of comorbidities. Management strategies currently require the general practitioner to play a central role, but care could possibly be organised more efficiently in the future