Early detection, reimbursement of consultations with dieticians, psychologists and adapted physical activity, training more caregivers: the government has unveiled its 2026-2030 roadmap for the management of obesity, while awaiting a future decision on the reimbursement of medications.
For the Ministry of Health, the roadmap aims to "reverse the progression of obesity and improve the health of those concerned," while obesity, particularly severe obesity, continues to increase in France with strong socio-economic and territorial inequalities.
It also aims to "increase access to personalized, local and long-term care", "develop the number of trained and aware professionals" and "promote and generalize innovative pathways and care".
“Finally! We’ve been waiting for this roadmap for about two years,” Anne-Sophie Joly, president of the National Committee of Associations for Obese People (CNAO), told AFP. “It’s a very important step for treatment, but we also need preventative measures regarding diet, by giving the population tools and working on ultra-processed foods,” she pointed out.
A major public health issue, obesity, the most serious form of overweight associated with metabolic disorders such as diabetes and certain cancers, is skyrocketing worldwide.
In France, its management has been the subject of several waves of measures for more than 15 years: recognition as a chronic disease, creation of specialized centers, multidisciplinary care…
But this is not enough to stem its progression in the population, nor to resolve various difficulties in the management and access to care for this pathology which requires comprehensive and long-term support, the ministry acknowledged.
Although approximately 18.11% of French adults were considered to be in a state of obesity in 2024, there is a lack of solid epidemiological data, for example on the proportion of people in complex or very complex obesity.
Co-led by Professor Judith Aron-Wisnewsky, this new roadmap covers various care pathways (pediatric, adult medical, surgical). It must also be aligned with the upcoming National Nutrition and Health Program, which is still awaiting publication, as well as the National Strategy for Food, Nutrition and Climate.
One of the axes of this national strategy aims to better identify and guide French people at risk or already in a situation of obesity, from early childhood from 0 to 6 years, through PMI and school medicine, and in adulthood, through occupational medicine or during periodic examinations.
– “Negotiation” on medicines –
While France now has 42 specialized centers, including overseas territories, five of which have been new since 2025, obesity care pathways must be strengthened at the territorial level.
In 2026, a strengthened coordinated care and therapeutic education program, previously experimental, will be rolled out for certain adults with complex obesity or obesity associated with specific complications. In addition to medical care, this includes dietary and psychological support, as well as adapted physical activity.
Other programs are being prepared, dedicated to children or people referred for bariatric surgery.
While the roadmap acknowledges the benefits of new anti-obesity treatments, particularly drug-based ones – weight reduction, limited complications – it also emphasizes the need for vigilance regarding potential risks, including misuse.
Reimbursement by the national health insurance system for this class of medications, marketed in France since 2024, has not yet been approved. It remains to be seen if, and when, the government and pharmaceutical companies will reach an agreement on a price, and what the cost to the national health insurance system will be.
"Negotiations are ongoing" and "this needs to be decided in the coming weeks," Stéphanie Rist told a few journalists, adding that "the challenge will be to determine for which patients and under what conditions these treatments can be reimbursed."
"These drugs must be reimbursed at a minimum for the most severely ill patients, if it cannot be done for everyone," Professor Aron-Wisnewsky told AFP.
Better training and equipping healthcare professionals, including endocrinologists, diabetologists, nutritionists, and dietitians, is also a priority in the roadmap. Because, as the specialist noted, "whatever our specialty, we have patients with this condition, which can complicate the treatment of other illnesses."
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