Saxony-Anhalt fights obesity with a free online lifestyle coach

Saxony-Anhalt has the highest obesity rate in Germany, with 13.4 percent of its population affected. To tackle this issue, health insurer AOK has launched a free online coach aimed at helping people adjust their lifestyles and achieve long-term weight loss.

The new programme offers interactive tools, self-reflection exercises, and guidance on nutrition, physical activity, and behavioural change.

The online coach is part of AOK's existing digital support services, which already include programmes for diabetes and hypertension. Users can track their progress while working through modules designed to encourage sustainable habits. The system also incorporates the WOOP method—a self-motivation technique—to help participants set and reach realistic goals.

Five individuals living with obesity contributed to shaping the coach's content, ensuring it meets real-life needs. Despite this individual support, the AOK stresses that broader policy action is necessary to reduce obesity rates effectively. While Saxony-Anhalt leads with targeted measures, other German states have yet to implement similar concrete strategies. National frameworks, such as the Bundesrahmenempfehlung 2025, exist, but calls for structural changes—like those from AOK Niedersachsen—remain largely unfulfilled.

In Saxony-Anhalt, over 290,000 people have been diagnosed with obesity, with women more affected than men. The district of Mansfeld-Südharz records the highest rate at 15.6 percent, well above the national average of 10.2 percent.

The AOK's online coach provides free, accessible support for those struggling with obesity. It combines personalised guidance with evidence-based methods to promote healthier lifestyles. However, the insurer continues to push for stronger policy measures to address the broader factors driving obesity rates across Germany.