With many schools returning to in-person instruction in August and September, the health of children has become a new contentious focus of the COVID-19 pandemic. Regulations around returning to in-person instruction vary across the country, but disparities in resources between school districts threaten to disadvantage children in low-income areas.
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This month's newsletter is written by guest author Fatima Cody Stanford. Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, FAAP, FACP, FAHA, FTOS is an obesity medicine physician and scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. This article was originally published by Newsweek under the title "America’s COVID-19 Response Must Tackle Obesity." It has been reproduced here with minor edits with the permission of the author. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and this year it’s more important than ever. Disease outbreaks can put individuals and communities under a great deal of stress; the COVID-19 pandemic is a good example.
Although the obesity rate in American adolescents is over 20% in 12- to 19-year-olds, availability and accessibility of effective treatments remain low. Recent attention has focused on the indications for and use of drug therapy in adolescents.
The pandemic of COVID-19 has threatened the health and infrastructure of nations all over the world.
In December, researchers announced that almost half of all Americans could have obesity by 2030. As we start this new decade, it is imperative that we change the narrative surrounding obesity. We need to raise awareness, lower stigma, and make it easier for those with obesity to receive the care they deserve.
One year ago, the Lancet Commission on Obesity published its seminal report, The Global Syndemic of Obesity, Undernutrition and Climate Change. Today, the report remains impactful and more relevant than ever.
Despite the high prevalence of obesity among Americans, few health professionals receive adequate training in how to deliver effective care for people with obesity.
ObesityWeek, the largest obesity conference in the world, took place this month. What were the takeaways? Most prominently, it is time for us to tackle childhood obesity, specifically severe childhood obesity.
With the holiday season quickly approaching, it is appropriate for patients, practitioners and other stakeholders to avoid holiday weight gain. This time of year, stretching from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, and sometimes expanded to include Halloween, includes indulgence in food and drink beyond recommendations for a balanced diet. Weight gain during the holidays is a common problem, although most American adults typically gain only around one pound.
Today, more than 93 million U.S. adults are living with obesity. Many do not consider obesity as a disease or that there are health professionals who can help them with weight-loss and maintenance. Having access to obesity care can lead to a more successful weight management journey, but many Americans lack insurance coverage to help them pay for these healthcare options. We believe that everyone should have access to obesity care that is not limited by a person’s weight or economic status.
SPECIAL EDITION: Leading expert and STOP Member Allison Sylvetsky, PhD, discusses the science of non-nutritive sweeteners and their role in obesity management.
The human skeletal system is an integrated framework of more than 200 bones and connective tissues that maintain body structure and facilitate movement. Over time, the joints that connect the bones in our skeletal system undergo wear and tear that limits their flexibility. Abnormal or excessive strain on the joints can lead to arthritis, an umbrella term used to characterize inflammatory diseases that affect one or more of the body’s 360+ joints and surrounding structures.
Although several obesity treatment guidelines have been published for obesity specialists, many patients report that it is difficult to receive the care they need because the standards for obesity care are so disparate across health care settings.