While care models and medication access are changing across the rest of country, “in Quebec, obesity is still not officially recognized as a disease. »

The movement to change policies and misperceptions surrounding obesity in Quebec is gaining ground today with a report presented to the National Assembly. The advocacy organization Parlons Obésité, the French division of Obesity Matters, authored the report as part of its mission “to create a future of weight acceptance, where health and happiness are the priority”—which is reflected in the calls to action.

While care models and medication access are changing across the rest of country, in Quebec, obesity is not officially recognized as a disease, yet rising numbers people are impacted. As Obesity Matters points out, more than 30 per cent of the population—approximately three million Quebecers—are living with this chronic condition that affects  their health and quality of life.

“It’s time to change the conversation about obesity in Quebec. This report highlights concrete solutions that would benefit both patients and the healthcare system. We call on the government to take immediate action to improve access to treatment and recognize obesity as a chronic disease,” Priti Chawla, founder and executive director of Parlons Obésité said in a news release.

The report follows the analysis of current care gaps and the burden of obesity on healthcare and the province discussed during Quebec’s first policy roundtable on obesity run by Parlons Obésité in December 2024. The event, attended by healthcare professionals, advocates, economists, public affairs experts, industry leaders and caregivers, emphasized the need to move toward understanding obesity as a complex, chronic disease and improve access to appropriate care.

As a result of the discussion, the report points out that Quebec’s current approach to obesity is outdated and lagging behind frameworks set out by the World Health Organization, the Canadian Medical Association and the American Medical Association. The province is focused on lifestyle changes, like dietary choices and exercise, while limiting access to evidence-based therapeutic interventions within the public system.

“Pharmaceutical obesity treatments are explicitly excluded from the public drug insurance plan (Article 6.3, Schedule 1, RAMQ Drug List),” notes Obesity Matters. Regulation protocols are distinct in Quebec, where unlike the Canadian drug agency (CADTH), Quebec’s own agency, INESSS, does not evaluate these therapies for possible inclusion in public reimbursement lists. The report calls for removal of Article 6.3 from the RAMQ Drug List and enabling INESSS to evaluate obesity treatments.

The report also references new research from the journal the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology that has called for redefining obesity beyond BMI and urges the need for treatment access.

Obesity is risk factor for over 200 health conditions

Another compelling argument to push for change is that obesity is a risk factor for more than 200 health conditions, impacting life expectancy and quality of life, with the added stresses of social stigma surrounding obesity, the report notes.

“We know that 80 per cent of chronic diseases could be prevented with better access to care and adapted public health strategies. Yet in Quebec, obesity remains excluded from this equation. It is urgent to recognize this disease and offer concrete solutions to patients instead of leaving them to bear the burden of their condition alone,” Dr. Julie St-Pierre, pediatrician and medical advisor for Parlons Obésité, said in the release.

Obesity and its related health concerns come at an enormous price for not only individual and their family, but the province, Obesity Matters emphasizes: “The cost to the Quebec government is staggering—$23 billion in 2021 alone. A reduction of just one per cent in obesity prevalence could yield net fiscal gains of $230 million annually. The return on investment for effective obesity policies is not only significant but essential.”

Possible solutions put forward include targeted pilot projects in underserved regions, public education campaigns that highlight patient voices and the impact of untreated obesity, and a joint task force (MSSS, INESSS, patients and clinicians) to focus on improving funding and care delivery.

Next up for the organization, following today’s report delivery? A possible province-wide commission on obesity, inspired by Quebec’s General Assembly on Cancer.