| Global Round Up
NAASO's boom year The North American Association for the Study of Obesity has had a very busy 12 months. We have experienced unprecedented growth and have adapted by creating a national office, changing our membership categories and increasing our activities. Having a permanent office and Executive Director has allowed us to better meet the needs of our members and increase our effectiveness in bringing science to bear on the many policy issues regarding the study and treatment of obesity. An issue of concern for NAASO is the development of the health agenda for the next 20 years currently being drafted by the U.S. Public Health Service. Healthy People 2010 defines goals and objectives for the nation's health and is instrumental in monitoring progress in achieving these objectives. NAASO's position is that obesity should be specifically targeted by making it a Leading Health Indicator and providing a separate chapter on obesity. NAASO submitted comments to the Department of Health and Human Services asking that these changes be made in the current draft. We have also joined with other nutrition and obesity organizations in a joint effort to ensure that Healthy People 2010 properly addresses the growing epidemic of obesity in the United States. Another aspect of NAASO's new Policy and Public Affairs Program has been our participation in the development of the "Partnership for Healthy Weight Management," spearheaded by the Federal Trade Commission. This is a coalition of representatives from science, academia, the health care professions, government, commercial enterprises, and organizations promoting the public interest. Its mission is "To promote sound guidance to the general public on strategies for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight." As an impressive first step for the Partnership, "Voluntary Guidelines for Providers of Weight Loss Products and Services" were developed with the assistance of NAASO and members acting individually. NAASO recently published the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute's Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults as a supplement to Obesity Research. We have also developed a Practical Guide monograph based on the Guidelines for use by primary care providers. Thanks to a grant from Knoll Pharmaceutical and the hard work of Lou Aronne, MD, and others, a pre-print of the Practical Guide has been distributed to almost 100,000 primary care providers in the United States. Finally the next NAASO Annual Scientific Meeting has grown to become North America's best opportunity to learn the latest in the field of obesity. The 1999 meeting, "Emerging Perspectives on Obesity," will present the latest science in a number of new and interesting formats. Being held in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, November 14 - 18, 1999, we expect this to be the biggest, most successful NAASO meeting ever. Ed Bernstein executive director Contact NAASO 8630 Fenton St. Suite 412; Silver Spring, MD, 20910. Tel: 301/563-6526; Fax: 301/587-2365. Notices and Meetings The Asia-Oceania Association for the Study of Obesity (AOASO) had it's first meeting at ICO98 in Paris. The following officers were elected: President: Professor Shuji Inoue (Japan); Vice-President: Professor Ian Caterson (Australia); Secretary: Professor Mohd Ismail Noor (Malaysia); Treasurer: Professor Kim, Young Seol (Korea); Council members (one representative from each member country); Professor A.D. Litonjua (Philippines); Dr. Rachmad Soegih (Indonesia) The Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity (MASO) will hold MASO '99 in Kuala Lumpur on the 28-29 June 1999. Contact: Prof.Dr.Mohd Ismail Noor, President MASO c/o Dept. of Nutrition & Dietetics Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel:+603 4405622 or 4405511 Fax +603 2941296 or 2947621 e-mail: mismail@medic.ukm.my or pbkoon@medic.ukm.my The Australasian Society for the Study of Obesity (ASSO) is meeting in Sydney Australia on August 21 and 22 1999, prior to the Western Pacific IDF. ASSO looks forward to meeting up with delegates from the regional obesity societies. The keynote speakers for the meeting are Dr Gerald Berenson from Louisiana, USA and Dr Angelo Tremblay from Montreal, Canada. For further details contact Dr Kate Steinbeck Tel: +612 95153821 Fax +612 95153841 e-mail kss@diab.rpa.cs.nsw.gov.au. For registration details contact Dr Mick Gould, Convention Associates Tel + 613 9887 8003 Fax + 613 9887 8773 e-mail ca@netwide.com.au Korean Society of Study of Obesity (KSSO) annual conference takes place at the Yonsei University Alumni Hall on April 10. KSSO has designed a special event at this meeting. and are planning to produce a play where physicians, nutritionists and obese patients actually participate to deliver message to the public and physicians. This role play may be the first of its kind in Korean academic societies. The participating doctors and nutritionists and patients are going to meet several times to write the script. KSSO is hoping to continue to develop various types of public awareness program. KSSO is raising some of the diagnostic and treatment guideline issues. On the same day we are planning to invite the public to a two hour open lecture to introduce the WHO guidelines for obesity. We have made a small booklet for the public which introduces the importance of obesity being major health risk. Contact: Sang Man Kim, MD e-mail ksso@bora.dacom.co.kr FLASO The Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Obesidad, Sociedad Peruana de Obesidad and Sociedad Cubana de Obesidad have become new members of FLASO bringing the federation membership to 10 countries. Member Meetings April 22 Argentinian Society for Obesity and Eating Disorders(SAOTA): First Scientific Meeting: April, Thursday 22nd, 20.30 in Buenos Aires. President: Dra. Rosa Labanca(Argentina). Speaker invited: Walmir Coutinho(Brazil): Title: "Comments of First
Latin American Consensus of Obesity". Contact: SAOTA fax +5411 48 32 37
22.
May 20 Argentinian Society for Obesity and Eating Disorders(SAOTA):
Second Scientific Meeting 20.30 "New values diagnostics in diabetes mellitus".
President: Dra. Rosa Labanca(Argentina).
June 23 -26 Peruvian Society of Obesity First Peruvian Congress of
Obesity and Atheroesclerosis.
Details of the IV Latin American Congress are included in conference listings overleaf and on the IOTF web pages. |