Toward Health Equity: A Workshop Report on the State of the Science of Obesity Interventions for Adults

From October 18 to 20, 2022, the National Institutes of Health held a workshop to examine the state of the science concerning obesity interventions in adults to promote health equity. The workshop had three objectives: (1) convene experts from key institutions and the community to identify gaps in knowledge and opportunities to address obesity, (2) generate recommendations for obesity prevention and treatment to achieve health equity, and (3) identify challenges and needs to address obesity prevalence and disparities and develop a diverse workforce.

A three-day virtual convening.

Several key themes emerged from the workshop discussions that describe directions to build on the currently limited amount of research on obesity, disparities, and equity. Key themes centered on the determinants of health, leveraging technology, clinical, community, commercial, and policy approaches. Community-engaged work, particularly in populations that have received little focus (e.g., sexual gender minorities, Asian communities), was also discussed.

Future research may be impactful when multilevel approaches are undertaken that leverage equity-minded tools and can be scaled up to meet community-informed population needs in a variety of settings. Funding priorities and workforce development will be critical to realizing health equity.