FORCE

Obesity is now a major public health issue. In France, nearly one in two adults is overweight or obese. This chronic condition is associated with numerous metabolic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and musculoskeletal complications, with significant consequences for patients and the healthcare system. More broadly, nutrition-related issues play a central role in the prevention and management of many chronic conditions.

By strengthening collaboration among teams and promoting the conduct of multicenter studies at the national and international levels, the FORCE network helps enhance the performance and appeal of French research in these fields. Its goal is to accelerate the generation of knowledge, improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies, and, ultimately, enhance the care provided to people affected by obesity and its associated conditions.

FORCE is currently coordinated by Prof. Sébastien Czernichow (AP-HP) and Prof. Emmanuel Disse (HCL), as well as three project leaders (Arnaud Michaux, Khouloud Chentouh, and Nesrine Zaabar).

To carry out its projects, the network relies on the 42 Specialized Obesity Centers (CSO) and brings together a broad community of professionals specializing in nutrition, obesity, and metabolic diseases, with the aim of strengthening clinical research in these fields and, ultimately, improving prevention, diagnosis, and care for the many patients affected.

To carry out its projects, the network also relies on the 42 Specialized Obesity Centers (CSO) and brings together a broad community of professionals specializing in nutrition, obesity, and metabolic diseases, with the aim of strengthening clinical research in these fields and, ultimately, improving prevention, diagnosis, and care for the many patients affected.

Thanks to its nationwide presence and its ability to bring together stakeholders across the obesity care continuum, the network helps recruit participating centers and disseminate the information needed to carry out research on nutrition, obesity, and related diseases, thereby enhancing the feasibility and nationwide implementation of these research efforts.

Visit the website obesitefrance.fr to find the 42 specialized obesity centers: link to the map of centers

The network's main objective is to advance clinical research in order to improve preventive and therapeutic strategies in the field of obesity and related conditions.

To this end, the network offers sponsors and investigators a unique national working environment, at the interface between research units and CSOs, thereby fostering the development of research projects (translational and clinical) and the generation of new scientific and medical knowledge in the field of obesity and associated metabolic diseases.

The FORCE network offers numerous advantages for the development and conduct of national and international clinical trials thanks to:

• A dense regional network ensuring extensive recruitment capacity.
• Harmonized clinical practices across different centers at the national and European levels.
• A standardized data collection process to facilitate data sharing and reuse.
• Expert advice from CSOs.

Each year, the network contributes to concrete advances in clinical research, with several studies completed. Here are a few examples:

• ROBOBAR : Medical and economic benefits of robotic bariatric surgery compared to laparoscopy: a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06858761
• RECOBMED : Evaluation of the implementation of medication prescription recommendations in the form of decision support for patients with severe obesity: a prospective interventional study using alternating control and intervention periods. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/obr.13977

The network is currently involved in several multicenter studies aimed at advancing knowledge and clinical practice, including:

• NUMASURG : Effect of maternal micronutrient status during pregnancy following bariatric surgery on the newborn.
• BARIACADO : Effect of financial incentives on weight loss in patients who have failed bariatric surgery: a multicenter, randomized, open-label trial.

For more information, please feel free to contact us.

Are you a patient who would like to learn more about how your data is used in research projects conducted by the network?

Visit the transparency portal created for this purpose now: The FORCE network’s transparency portal