Clinical Management of Overweight and Obesity: Recommendations of the Italian Society of Obesity (SIO)

These guidelines make recommendations regarding the managementof individuals with a body mass index greater than 25.0 kg/m2and cover all age groups, from children to the elderly, as well as variouspatient subsets.

A range of measures to yield health benefits are set out,including healthy eating plans, increased physical activity, and behavioralmodifications to help patients to manage obesity.

In addition, recommendationsare made on the use of bariatric surgery and the new antiobesity drugs.

Throughout the process of developing the recommendations, every attempt wasmade to ensure use of a rigorous, evidence-based approach.  The guidelinesare promoted by the Italian Society of Obesity (SIO) and were formulated incompliance with a prespecified process overseen by a steering committee.

Theyare intended for use by a wide range of clinicians, including generalpractitioners, primary health care nurses, and primary health careprofessionals, and will hopefully prove of value in combating the obesityepidemic not only in Italy but across Europe and elsewhere in the world.