Obesity Policy Engagement Network

Italy Around 5.4 million adults in Italy are living with obesity – equivalent to one in ten adults.1,2 A further 35.5% have overweight, meaning almost half of the population are affected by overweight or obesity.1

Obesity is not recognised as a disease4

€4.5bn Cost of treating obesity.

4% total healthcare costs3

€9bn Total direct and

indirect cost3,5

Health SystemThe Italian National Healthcare System offers free universal access to healthcare to all Italian citizens and is funded by the Ministry of Health through taxation.6

Management Independent guidelines recommend multidisciplinary care throughout primary and higher care.7

Policy The majority of policy interventions in Italy for obesity are focussed on diet, exercise and prevention. Italy does not have a national strategy in place for obesity specifically, however it was noted in a National Prevention Plan (2010–2012).8

In 2018, an ‘Obesity manifesto’ was created by the Italian Obesity Network. The manifesto aims to provide a roadmap to improve quality of life for people living with obesity through prevention and environmental changes. This is already being reflected in new legislation.3

Access and Funding Anti-obesity medications are not reimbursed by the National Healthcare system in Italy.9

Bariatric surgery is available to adults with a BMI ≥40 (or >35 with co-morbidities), when all previous weight loss efforts have failed.8

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Obesity Policy Engagement Network

References

1. ISTAT 2016 Data Tables. Health Risk Factors, Smoking, Obesity, Alcohol and a

Sedentary Lifestyle. Available at: https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/202040 Last accessed:

February 2019

2. CountryMeters. 2019. Italy population. Available at:

https://countrymeters.info/en/Italy Last accessed: February 2019

3. IBDO Foundation 2019 1st Obesity Barometer Report. To be published April 2019

4. Barbieri, M., Désesquelles, A., Egidi, V., Demuru, E., Frova, L., Meslé, F., &

Pappagallo, M. 2017. Obesity-related mortality in France, Italy, and the United

States: a comparison using multiple cause-of-death analysis. Available at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5947997/pdf/nihms964250.pdf Last

accessed: February 2019

5. Dee. 2014. The direct and indirect costs of both overweight and obesity. Available

at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4006977/pdf/1756-0500-7-242.pdf

Last accessed: February 2019

6. The Common Wealth Fund. n.d. The Italian Health Care System. Available at:

https://international.commonwealthfund.org/countries/italy/ Last accessed: February

2019

7. The Economist Intelligence Unit. 2015. Confronting obesity in Europe: tacking

action to change the default setting. Available at:

https://eiuperspectives.economist.com/sites/default/files/ConfrontingobesityinEurope.

pdf Last accessed: February 2019

8. European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO). 2014. Obesity Perception

Policy: Multi-country review and survey of policymakers. Available at:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311558839_Obesity_perception_and_polic

y_-_multi-country_review_and_survey_of_policymakers Last accessed: February 2019

9. Gazzetta ufficiale della repubblica italiana 2017 Anti-obesity medication listings.

Available at: https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/gu/2017/08/16/190/sg/pdf Last

accessed: February 2019