This month, more than 20 leading health organizations representing a range of health care providers released the first-ever set of interdisciplinary educational competencies for the prevention and treatment of obesity. Collectively, the competencies span virtually all aspects of care and establish a common basis for understanding and working with people with obesity.
Article Archive
This month, the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, & Nutrition (PCFSN) helped to coordinate events nationwide in honor of National Physical Fitness & Sports Month. Beginning with National PE & Sports Week and ending today with National Senior Health & Fitness Day, the month encourages Americans
In 1985, Dr. Vincent Felitti was frustrated by the 50% dropout rateof patients with severe obesity from his San Diego-based clinic. Upon review, Felitti was shocked to find that most dropouts were losing weight when they left the program. Follow-up interviews with these patients revealed that the majority (55%) had experienced some form of childhood sexual abuse. Many women indicated that they believed their physical size helped to ward off sexual advances from men.
Amid rising costs to employers, interest in evidence-based strategies to promote physical, mental, and financial wellbeing of employees has grown steadily.
In a 2012 report, Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention(APOP), the National Academy of Medicine recommended five areas of focus to address obesity in the United States:
The national security of the United States depends on a fit military. Obesity in military personnel impairs fitness and affects both recruitment and retention. Along with poor academic performance and criminal behavior, nationwide increases in prevalence of overweight and obesity pose major challenges to U.S.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - On February 2nd, the STOP Obesity Alliance hosted a roundtable discussion on Obesity Management and Coverage. The session was moderated by Jeff Levi, Professor of Health Management & Policy, and co-facilitated by Bill Dietz, Director of the STOP Obesity Alliance. The day-long roundtable convened representatives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, patient advocates, researchers, private payers, health care providers, foundations, and others with expertise in obesity prevention and treatment.
By Eric Seaborg
Obesity is such a sensitive issue that many physicians avoid discussing it. Here are some tips on the right (and wrong) ways to broach the subject.
Talking to patients about their weight is a critical task that many physicians find difficult — and even embarrassing. Too many physicians find it so uncomfortable that they avoid it altogether. Or they become so frustrated because “patients don’t listen” that their approach ends up being counter-productive.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - More than 35 leading U.S. healthcare organizations have joined together to form National Obesity Care Week (NOCW), an annual campaign to advance a comprehensive, compassionate and personalized approach to treating obesity as a disease. Scheduled for November 1-7, 2015, the inaugural event calls upon healthcare professionals, patients and policymakers to “Change the Way We Care” for obesity for the benefit of those individuals living with obesity.
The Why Weight? A Guide to Discussing Obesity & Health With Your Patients series of information is available at www.WhyWeightGuide.org.
The Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance released a series of educational videos and website for health care providers as part of STOP’s continued efforts to improve communication with patients affected by obesity. The information is based on STOP’s Why Weight? A Guide to Discussing Obesity & Health With Your Patients, a unique tool designed to help providers build a safe and trusting environment with patients to facilitate open, productive conversations about weight.
Why Weight? A Guide to Discussing Obesity & Health With Your Patients is available at www.WhyWeightGuide.org.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Obesity expert William H. Dietz, MD, Ph.D., has been named Director of the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance, a national multi-stakeholder coalition based within Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University. This leadership transition comes as part of Dr. Dietz’s recent transition to Milken Institute SPH, where he heads the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness.
Framingham, MA – This June will mark the sixth annual National Employee Wellness Month (NEWM, twitter hashtag #NEWM2014), an initiative designed to empower business leaders to successfully engage employees in healthy lifestyles. The sponsors invite companies and organizations of all sizes across the country to participate by pledging their support for this annual initiative and promoting healthy habits in the workplace this June.