Obesity affects one in four adults in Germany.The prevalence of this chronic disease continues to rise. The guidelines for a disease management programme (DMP) for obesity that have come into force provide a new option for treating the disease in the German healthcare landscape, which pursues a multimodal approach and supports those affected in the self-management of obesity.The content of the guidelines is aimed at reducing and/or stabilising body weight, improving trans-sectoral collaboration on obesity-related co-morbidities and reducing morbidity and mortality.