International Obesity Task Force
The International Obesity Task Force was originally convened in 1995 by Professor Philip James to prepare the first scientific research report on the global epidemic of obesity. Subject to the scrutiny of eleven subcommittees and scores of international experts, this report eventually served as a working draft for the first World Health Organization (WHO) expert consultation on obesity held in Geneva in 1997. The report established the criteria for assessing obesity, and was distributed to all health ministers at the World Health Assembly in 1998. Its eventual publication as an official WHO Expert Technical Report in 2000 entitled ‘WHO TRS 894 Obesity: Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic’ marked a turning point in governments' acceptance of what was described by the WHO as "the biggest unrecognized public health problem in the world". The IOTF is a global network of experts working to alert the world to the growing health crisis caused by soaring levels of obesity. It works with the WHO, other NGOs and stakeholders to address this challenge.
Current Situation
The IOTF's mission is to inform the world about the urgency of the problem and to persuade governments that the time to act is now.
A new IOTF Scientific Advisory council has been established. They met at the ICO Congress in Stockholm in July 2010.
| IOTF Steering Committee | |
| Chair | Shiriki Kumanyika |
| Co-Chair | Boyd Swinburn |
| Kelly Brownell | |
| Walmir Coutinho | |
| Aileen Robertson | |
| Secretariat | Tim Lobstein |
To view the main IOTF website page please click here
