Canadian Obesity Management Programs

Dear Colleagues,

Obesity is a major health problem that the Canadian health care system has to face. The federal government and many Canadian provinces have devoted budgets to tackling obesity but, at this time, there is no inventory of available public, private or community resources to treat obesity. A group of researchers and partners lead by Dr Marie-France Langlois from the University of Sherbrooke is performing, in partnership with the Canadian Obesity Network (CON), the first Canadian environmental scan of adult weight management services. This survey, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) of Québec, provides an opportunity for Canadian weight management programs (clinical, community, commercial or otherwise) to describe their approaches including: referral/enrolment processes, inclusion/exclusion criteria, description of health care team, treatment outcomes, style of intervention, funding sources and program affiliations, and to connect with other professionals across the country. Our aims are to:

1. build a comprehensive picture of weight management services in Canada;
2. raise awareness of the different programs that exist nationally;
3. provide opportunities for networking and collaboration between sites.

Since very little is known about Canadian weight management services, this survey will also enable multi-centre, collaborative research and networking to build our knowledge base.

The questionnaire can be completed by any clinician, researcher or administrator who leads a Canadian weight management program/service (1 survey per program). Survey completion takes approximately 20 minutes and entries can be saved and edited. Summary data and program contact information can be made available on the site, with your permission, to enable networking and collaboration between clinicians and researchers. A patient-oriented version may also be developed and will contain data of programs which agree.

To register to obtain a username and password please click on this link: {register_link}

If you currently run a weight management program we would love to hear from you! We are trying to reach as many Canadian programs as possible and would greatly appreciate your assistance in spreading the word. Please feel free to forward this address to others individuals involved with Canadian weight management programs who may be interested.

Thank you so much for your assistance!

Best regards,

Marie-Michèle Rosa Fortin M.Sc.
For the pan-Canadian environmental scan committee on adult weight management services
Email: mmrosafortin.chus@ssss.gouv.qc.ca

The Attitudes Toward Obese Persons and the Beliefs About Obese Persons are standard measures that are used in continuing professional education in the area of obesity. Your responses will remain anonymous. The information gathered here will be pooled with other participants of the Dietitians Learning Retreat. A summary report will be made available in the near future. Your name will not be connected with any of the data or be revealed in any reports.

This questionnaire offers an opportunity for pediatric weight management programs in Canada to describe the characteristics of their approach. The goal is to complete and maintain a nation-wide environmental scan of the health services available in Canada for the treatment of obesity in children/adolescents and their families, including both clinic and community based programs, and make it available to all interested health professionals. The information related to the description of the programs is the sole responsibility of the contact person of the program. The Canadian Obesity Network reserves the right not to post the description of centers that do not meet the above criteria. For more information, please contact Dr. Jean-Pierre Chanoine, British Columbia Children's Hospital, or Dr. Geoff Ball, Stollery Children's Hospital.