The new program aims to strengthen the prevention of obesity throughout the life cycle, through national and priority health programs, notably in the areas of nutrition, including breastfeeding, physical activity, diabetes, maternal, child and youth health, and school health.
The directive recalls that on March 4, World Obesity Day, the Directorate-General of Health presented the “Action Roadmap to Accelerate the Prevention and Control of Obesity in Portugal,” which outlines priorities for the next three years and is part of Portugal’s participation in the World Health Organization’s Acceleration Plan to Curb Obesity, aligned with the National Health Plan 2030.
The Roadmap proposes ten priority action areas, with measures focused on prevention, improving access to and the quality of healthcare, and creating environments that promote healthy choices, with a special focus on the early years of life.
In this context, the National Program for the Prevention and Management of Obesity (PNPGO) was established, coordinated by the DGS, functioning as a transversal platform that aggregates and coordinates measures and interventions in the area of obesity, enhancing the articulation between national health programs, sectors, and levels of intervention and promoting the integration of innovative digital-based solutions, the directive states, effective from October 30.
One of the central measures is the implementation of the Integrated Care Pathway for the Person with Obesity (PCIPO), which defines a person-centered clinical and organizational model, ensuring a continuous, interdisciplinary, and sustained approach.
This pathway will be operationalized through Multidisciplinary Obesity Teams (EMO), to be created in all Local Health Units.
These teams will be responsible for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, surgical or non-surgical, and the continuous monitoring of patients, with individualized care plans that include nutritional intervention, physical activity, psychological support, and, when indicated, pharmacological or surgical treatment.
The directive also determines that the subsidization of drugs for the treatment of obesity will be defined by ordinance, under an exceptional regime, subject to evaluation by Infarmed.
The Executive Directorate of the NHS, in conjunction with the DGS, ensures the progressive implementation of the PCIPO in ULS, promoting improved access and quality of healthcare, as well as the integration of care between different levels of service provision.
In Portugal, obesity affects 28.7% of adults, with more than half of the population being overweight (67.6%).
“Childhood obesity is reaching alarming levels: in 2022, the prevalence of overweight was 31.9% among children between 6 and 8 years old, of whom 13.5% were living with obesity,” the directive highlights.
Currently, overweight represents 7.5% of mortality in Portugal and is the second risk factor contributing most to the disease burden in the country.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that 10% of Portugal’s total health spending is dedicated to treating diseases related to being overweight, with an overall impact of 3% on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“This situation has direct implications for the sustainability of the NHS, requiring organized, equitable, and effective responses, based on the best available scientific evidence,” it emphasizes.
