7,000 coaches from 42 cities will be trained under the GEROPHARM Healthy Weight Program

GEROPHARM, in partnership with a network of fitness clubs, brings the Healthy Weight project to the federal level. This is the first example in Russia of systematic cooperation between a pharmaceutical manufacturer and representatives of the fitness industry, aimed at popularizing scientifically based approaches to weight correction.

The main task of the initiative is not just to tell about ways to reduce body weight, but to form a correct understanding of obesity as a chronic disease among a wide audience. An important element of the work will be the debunking of persistent myths about weight loss: this will allow people to rely on evidence-based recommendations, and not on popular, but erroneous settings.

The key audience is fitness trainers: more than 7,000 specialists will be trained under the program developed by leading endocrinologists. The course will include modules on the effect of obesity on metabolism and the cardiovascular system, an analysis of common misconceptions about means of weight correction, as well as methods for achieving sustainable results through a balanced approach.

Training videos will appear on the digital platforms of fitness clubs-participants. They will explain in an accessible language what risks overweight carries, and reveal the connection of obesity with a number of serious pathologies - including type 2 diabetes, heart and vascular diseases, disorders in the musculoskeletal system.

The project consistently distinguishes between two different contexts: the desire to improve appearance and the need for medical treatment of obesity. The company emphasizes that obesity is not a manifestation of weakness or lack of willpower, but a condition that requires the participation of a doctor. Effective support is possible only with the interaction of the patient, doctor and specialists accompanying the person on the way to improving health.

GEROPHARM Deputy Director General Marina Rykova drew attention to the growing burden on the health care system due to the increase in the number of overweight people. According to her, increased interest in weight loss drugs, including Sejaro, is accompanied by a growing number of myths and unreliable information. “Only a doctor can prescribe therapy, and self-medication is a serious danger,” she stressed.

Marina Rykova also noted: The first contact for many is not a specialist, but a friend, coach or blogger. Therefore, we must give those to whom people come for support reliable knowledge and understandable tools for competent conversation. Our mission is to improve health literacy and help people not make decisions based on rumors and fear.”.

The project ambassador is the world champion in combat sambo Ismail Magomedov. His professional authority and personal example are designed to convey a key message: a responsible attitude to health and the achievement of a harmonious state of the body should be based on a conscious and scientifically based approach.

The goal of the Healthy Weight project is to form a mature public attitude towards the problem of obesity: without stigmatization, but with a clear understanding of the seriousness of the state and the value of decisions based on evidence-based medicine.