Most recent available data (2007) shows that 37% of Irish adults are overweight and a further 24% of adults are obese

The Health Economics and Policy Analysis research group at NUI Galway will host a one day conference on obesity on Friday, 17 January. Obesity is a complex, interdisciplinary problem that involves genetics, physiology, the environment, psychology, and economics.

Economic factors have played a significant role in the development of the obesity crisis and economics offers many insights into various solutions to improve the crisis and to prevent more people from becoming obese.

Keynote speaker, Professor John Cawley from Cornell University, will focus on several aspects of the economics of obesity including the economic contributors to obesity, the economic consequences of obesity, and economic strategies for treatment and prevention.

Other speakers and topics to be addressed include:

• Professor Tim O’Brien, NUI Galway; An overview of the extent of the obesity problem in Ireland
• Dr Francis Finucane, NUI Galway; Cost-effectiveness of bariatric surgery
• Brendan Walsh, NUI Galway; Socioeconomic inequalities in childhood obesity in Ireland
• Michelle Queally, NUI Galway; Exploring individual preferences for obesity treatment and willingness to pay for treatments  
• Professor Fidelma Dunne; Obesity in Pregnancy and Gestational Diabetes in Ireland
• Dr Anne Dee, Mid-West HSE; Economic cost of obesity in Ireland
• Professor David Madden, UCD; The distributional effects of a ‘fat tax’ in Ireland

The conference will be of interest to researchers, clinicians and policymakers working in this area and will take place in the Aula Maxima at NUI Galway. For more details please contact Brendan Kennelly at brendan.kennelly@nuigalway.ie or 091 493094.

-Ends-