Educational programs: an effective mechanism for preventing and treating obesity

The prevalence of obesity and the burden of associated diseases are constantly increasing in populations around the world. The treatment and prevention of obesity today include changes in lifestyle and dietary patterns to reduce body weight, as well as the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The development and implementation of educational programs are important means of preventing and treating obesity, aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle and optimizing nutrition. The Federal State Budgetary Institution “Federal Research Centre of Nutrition and Biotechnology” has developed many educational programs in the field of healthy nutrition, including the prevention and treatment of obesity, both for specialists and for the public. Comprehensive educational programs that involve dietary and psychological aspects have demonstrated particularly high efficiency in correcting nutritional status and eating behavior in obese people. Key words: obesity, body mass index, nutrition, eating behavior, educational program