Home – Word of Welcome

Dear colleagues,

It is with great pleasure and honour that we invite you to the 3rd Balkan Congress on Obesity which will take place on October 17-19, 2008, in Thessaloniki, Greece. The congress is being organised by the Balkan Network for the Study of Obesity (BalNeSO) and the Hellenic Medical Association for Obesity (HMAO).

HMAO's initiative for the formation of BalNeSO has proven to be a very significant one. Two Balkan congresses, the first in Athens, Greece, in 2003 and the second in Albena, Bulgaria, in 2005 were successfully accomplished with the collaboration of the national associations for obesity of Bulgaria, Greece, Israel, Romania, Serbia and Turkey. Due to HMAO's long history of well organised and successful scientific events, both locally and internationally, we are confident that the forthcoming 3rd BCO will be a unique experience.

The 3rd Balkan Congress on Obesity will try to address all the important topics in the field of obesity, aiming to focus primarily on the region of the Balkan Peninsula. Eminent scientists from all over Europe have been invited to contribute to the scientific programme which is expected to be of a high level. Among the topics that will be widely covered during the congress are the genetic or environmental perspective of obesity, the public health policies, the metabolic syndrome, the importance of physical activity in the treatment of obesity and many more.

The 3rd BCO will be preceded by the 8th Macedonian Congress on Nutrition and Dietetics, which is being organised by the Technological Educational Institution of Thessaloniki and it will take place on October 16-17, 2008. The congress takes place every other year addressing topics in the field of nutrition, dietetics and nutritional disorders. Although its official language is Greek, specific topics will be presented in English.

We urge you all to submit your papers and we invite you to an interesting scientific and social journey in the city of Thessaloniki, where the heart of Macedonia beats.

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Greece!