New industry qualification to combat obesity

A newly accredited qualification, Certificate IV in Weight Management, is aimed at helping professionals in reducing Australia’s current obesity epidemic.

Sonja Bella, founder of Australian College of Weight Management and developer of the newly accredited qualification, has made it her personal mission to help Australians overcome the current obesity epidemic.

Through her personal journey Bella has discovered the damage that poor diet information can do to a person’s health.

As a teenager, Bella lived off 1000 calories a day for nearly 10 years because of dieting advice from media, magazines and social pressure which caused her to be diagnosed with borderline osteoporosis as a young woman. This experience made her passionate about helping others to get off the dieting merry-go-round that ultimately leads to obesity and health complications for so many.

After more than a decade of practicing as a wellness professional, Bella realised that today’s approach to weight loss and weight management all too often has a bias towards each industry. Many individuals often find weight loss a difficult process as most current industry professionals only specialise with one area of the problem – either nutrition, exercise or the psychological factors that contribute to weight gain – with clients then left to try to join the dots.

Bella’s vision centres around changing the face of the Australian weight management industry to bring a more holistic approach to weight loss and weight management and to encourage higher levels of networking, referring and supporting the needs of clients by working together on a united front against the alarming levels of obesity in this country, which is why she developed the Certificate IV in Weight Management.

The Certificate IV in Weight Management aims to encompass best practice methodologies for the promotion of a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to weight loss and weight management whilst encouraging networking, communication and education across the varying disciplines and professions directly working with overweight and/or obese clients.

The Certificate IV in Weight Management has received national accreditation through the VET (Vocational Education & Training) and international accreditation with IARC (International Accreditation Recognition Council) and IICT (International Institute for Complimentary Therapies).

Bella explains “this qualification opens up exciting opportunities for the weight management industry and I see it as a positive step in creating career pathways and closer relationships between the various medical and health professions working under the weight management umbrella.

She also feels that the fitness industry will benefit greatly from this new course as it will provide the ability for Personal Trainers and Fitness Professionals to be able to provide meal plans and a more holistic approach to their clients’ needs.

For more information about the Certificate IV in Weight Management contact 1300 969 367 or go to www.collegeofweightmanagement.com.au

Article amended 27th February 2016.

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