Obesity now impacts countries at all economic levels, bringing with it a wave of ill health and lost productivity. Of all high-income countries, the United States has the highest rates of overweight and obesity, with fully a third of the population obese.  This rate is projected to rise to around 50 percent by 2030. As with most health issues, the burden of obesity isn’t felt equally across all parts of society. The poor have higher rates than those with higher income. Those with less education have higher rates than those with more education. And certain minority groups-especially African American and Hispanic women-have much higher rates than other groups. Beyond North America, the regions of Europe, South and Central America, Western Pacific, and parts of Africa and Asia also have elevated obesity rates, with only a handful of areas with low and consistent levels of obesity. The worldwide spread of obesity and resulting increase in rates of chronic disease and other serious conditions threatens health systems, economies, and individual lives. Bringing the problem back under control will take multifaceted country-level as well as global-level efforts, and they cannot begin in earnest soon enough. The STAR Bariatrics program is designed to begin addressing the trends highlighted above. It’s design outlines a number of important topic areas that  give both basic obesity education on pathophysiology and treatment, but also specific training on the use of bariatric endoscopic therapies for obesity treatment. This online only program of Fundamentals of Obesity is an ASGE requirement if one desires to progress toward the higher-level parts of the ASGE STAR courses in Bariatrics for specific devices or procedural hands-on training.

• Describe the epidemiology, physiology, pathophysiology and other factors that influence obesity.
• Explain how to properly evaluate patients with obesity in the initial office visit.
• Identify how to screen for eating disorders, depression, life-style, and physical traits of a patient that lead to obesity.
• List the different types of behavior modification and obesity treatments available.
• Understand key pharmacotherapy and obesity treatment options (e.g. medications for weight regulation and those that cause weight gain while managing patient expectations and outcomes). 
• Compare and contrast endoscopic bariatric therapies and bariatric surgery options available for the endoscopist, and the possible adverse events of each.

1. Introduction to Obesity Medicine (20 minutes)
2. Pathophysiology of Obesity (50 minutes)
3. Initial Office Visit for Obesity (30 minutes)
4. Obesity Treatment: Behavioral Therapy (30 minutes)
5. Obesity Treatment: Diet Therapy (30 minutes)
6. Obesity Treatment: Exercise in Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance (40 minutes)
7. Obesity Treatment: Pharmacotherapy (50 minutes)
8. Obesity Treatment: Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies (45 minutes)
9. Obesity Treatment: Bariatric Surgery for the Endoscopist (60 minutes)
10. Obesity Treatment: Managing non-responders or Weight regain after a Procedure (30 minutes)