A newly published study linked to the PROMINENCE project (Promoting Obesity and Metabolic Rehabilitation INclusion in EU Entry-level Physiotherapy Curricula) has identified significant gaps in how obesity and metabolic rehabilitation are taught in entry-level physiotherapy education across Europe.

Just over a half of respondents (56%) reported including obesity-specific content in their entry-level physiotherapy curriculum, mainly covering obesity as a disease, physical activity promotion and lifestyle management. 

Significant  education gaps remain, especially in relation to comprehensive obesity history taking, staging of obesity severity, physiotherapy post-bariatric surgery, pharmacotherapy and  communication with people living with obesity. 

In response to these gaps, the PROMINENCE consortium – uniting physiotherapy stakeholders from Ireland, Sweden, Finland and Belgium – developed two key resources: the PROMINENCE Competency Framework, setting out the knowledge, skills and attitudes of  physiotherapists  required  for effective rehabilitation  in obesity and a freely accessible PROMINENCE Obesity Open Education Resource (OER), designed to support  educators integrate evidence based content into their programmes without starting from scratch.

Read the full article here: https://www.physiotherapyjournal.com/article/S0031-9406(26)00495-5/fulltext)