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EDMONTON — Primary Care Alberta and Obesity Canada are joining forces on efforts to improve obesity prevention and treatment through Alberta’s primary healthcare system.
The organizations have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at expanding access to evidence-informed obesity care and giving primary and community care teams additional resources to prevent and manage the chronic disease.
The agreement was signed in April, with the partnership announced Monday.
“Recognizing obesity as a chronic disease means ensuring Albertans have access to respectful, evidence-informed care closer to home,” said Justin Wright, minister of primary and preventative health services.
Wright said the partnership is intended to strengthen prevention and management in primary care while supporting healthcare teams and improving outcomes for patients.
Nearly one in three Canadians is living with obesity, according to the organizations, which describe it as a chronic disease associated with more than 200 other health conditions.
They say the economic cost associated with untreated obesity in Canada reached $27.6 billion in 2023, including healthcare expenses and effects on employment, productivity and income.
Primary Care Alberta CEO Kim Simmonds said addressing the effects of chronic disease requires collaboration between organizations.
“By bringing together provincial leadership and national expertise, this partnership reflects a shared commitment to improving obesity prevention and management and supporting better health for Albertans,” Simmonds said.
The agreement identifies six areas for potential collaboration, including provincial obesity prevention and management, development of primary care pathways, healthcare workforce education and clinical practice guidance.
The organizations also plan to work on healthy weight gain during pregnancy, reducing weight-related stigma and developing approaches to care based on patient rights.
Obesity Canada is expected to provide expertise, educational resources and other evidence-informed materials, including support for incorporating principles from the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines into primary care.
Lisa Schaffer, executive director of Obesity Canada, said people living with obesity have not always encountered a healthcare system which recognizes and treats the condition in the same way as other chronic diseases.
“This collaboration is an opportunity to change that in Alberta by helping primary care teams put evidence into practice, build more connected pathways to care, and create experiences where people are treated with dignity and without weight bias,” Schaffer said.
Alberta became the first Canadian province to recognize obesity as a chronic disease in March 2025.
Primary Care Alberta is also developing a Chronic Disease Prevention and Management action plan, with obesity included as one of its focus areas.
The two organizations will pursue the priorities through an Obesity Care Partnership Steering Committee, which is expected to work on provincial care pathways, workforce education, clinical guidance and approaches to stigma-free care.
The committee is scheduled to hold its first meeting Wednesday.
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