Letter From The Director
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Greetings!
My staff and I closely watch the various weight-loss and anti-obesity public and private sector programs underway across the country.
The good news is that cities, states and counties are recognizing the devastating impact of the obesity epidemic and are embarking on a number of initiatives to take it on.
But sometimes we come across news that reflects the continued bias against obesity and its related chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.
Take the recent case of Collin County, Texas. Earlier this month, Collin County commissioners unanimously voted to stop covering weight-loss surgery for county employees. Citing fiscal responsibility in the current economic climate, commissioners believe that they can no longer justify using taxpayer money for this manner of treatment.
"I can't see taking money from one citizen and giving it to another for this type of procedure," said Commissioner Matt Shaheen.
Although several doctors appealed, the commissioners' decision remained.
"I just don't believe it's a disease," Commissioner Jerry Hoagland said. "It's not like cancer."
While fears about our fragile economy are appropriate and understandable, we must at the same time, be particularly aware of a couple of dangerous reflex responses - both of which can be seen in this action.
First, the comments remind us that we have not yet achieved a basic understanding - among the public or our leaders - that obesity is a serious health issue. Its downstream effects - diabetes and heart disease among them - are costly both in terms of costs of care and quality of life.
Second is a pattern that is frustratingly predictable during tough times: making decisions that seem to achieve a good in the short term, without considering the very real and long term consequences that will surface down the road.
Case in point - according to research released by State of Texas demographer, Karl Eschbach, the obesity rate in the state of Texas will triple over the next thirty years unless significant treatment and prevention efforts are made. According to Texas state Senator Jane Nelson (R), obesity is now "the single most serious issue we face" in Texas, emphasizing that the condition strains the entire health system, hinders economic productivity and drains the state budget.
As we continue to battle this epidemic, we know there is no magic bullet to solving the problem. But reducing the number of the already too few and effective treatment options available takes us backward. As my colleagues at the STOP Obesity Alliance and I discuss in our policy recommendations, we will not be able take the actions necessary to overcome and prevent obesity without increasing the availability multifactorial interventions. Accompanying these interventions with a realistic and unified definition of success will allow us to examine what is most effective.
In this tough economy, there is no question that we all need to make hard choices, but we must ensure that potential short-term savings do not eliminate the goal of long-term health.
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Sincerely,
Christine C. Ferguson, JD
Director, The STOP Obesity Alliance
Associate Research Professor
School of Public Health and Health Services
Department of Health Policy
The George Washington University |
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Alliance & Steering Committee Member News
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STOP Obesity Alliance Launches Blog, "Weighing In", as Part of New Web site
The Alliance recently launched "Weighing In", a forum for discussion regarding recent obesity-related news and trends. Alliance Director, Christine Ferguson, and other Steering Committee members will periodically post insights and reaction on obesity and chronic disease news.
The blog is a new addition to the Web site which was redesigned to provide a more navigable interface, clearer organizational structure and improved graphic elements. Users can view the Alliance's core resources through the Research Center, which houses the Decision Maker survey and Alliance research paper, and the Policy Room, where both the Obesity GPS and policy recommendations are located. To see the updated Web site and view the new blog, click here. |
Partnership for Prevention Publishes White Paper on Economic Case for Prevention
Partnership for Prevention recently commissioned a white paper from some of the nation's leading authorities on prevention and public health who made the economic case for prevention. The paper concluded that many preventive measures provide enormous value in terms of health benefits per dollar spent. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a commentary on the findings by one of the white paper's authorS, Steven H. Woolf, MD, MPH, of Virginia Commonwealth University. Partnership also held a Congressional briefing in which participants spoke on the findings and the benefits of prevention. Click here to learn more and access the commentary and Hill briefing video.
AMGA to Hold 2009 Annual Conference
The American Medical Group Association will hold its 2009 Annual Conference March 2-4, 2009 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, NV. The conference will feature discussion on tools to weather turbulent economic times and sustain financial and operational strength. Speakers for the event including Dr. Donald M. Berwick, President and CEO of Institute for Healthcare Improvement , Fortune 500 leadership coach Marshall Goldsmith, author Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point and Blink), and former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee. Click here for more information.
AHIP to Hold 2009 National Policy Forum
America's Health Insurance Plans will hold its 2009 National Policy Forum March 10-11, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Forum, a national conference for health industry executives, health policy analysts and experts will feature in-depth discussions and a diversity of perspective on the most challenging health care policy issues facing our nation including 2009 health policy priorities for Congress and the Administration, moving from treatment to prevention and payment reform. For more information, click here.
NBGH to Hold Conference on Business Health Agenda
National Business Group on Health will hold its conference, Business Health Agenda, March 11-13, 2009 in Washington, DC. Feature topics include employee wellness programs, employee health communications and health coaches, navigators and other employee decision support tools. For more information, click here. |
News Round-Up
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U.S. News & World Report
Increased rates of obesity and lack of insurance coverage are among the many health challenges facing young American adults, according to a special section on young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 featured in the annual report on the nation's health from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among its finding, in the past three decades, obesity rates among young adults have tripled, from 8 percent in 1971-74 to 24 percent in 2005-06.
February 19, 2008
Newsday
By Deepti Hajela - Associated Press Writer
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a partnership between the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association, announced a new anti-obesity program for children that will extend health care coverage for visits to dietitians to focus on healthy eating and lifestyle changes. The members of the initiative include four insurers: Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and WellPoint. It also includes PepsiCo, the American Association of Pediatrics and the American Dietetic Association. The hope is to have up to a million children take part in the first year and more than six million over three years.
Making simple changes to the workplace environment-such as signs reminding workers to choose healthier foods and be more physically active-may help to reduce obesity and other health risks, according to a study in the February 2009 Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
February 12, 2009
Medical News Today
University of Alberta obesity expert Dr. Arya Sharma, along with a researcher from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, has proposed a new classification system to help doctors assess and treat overweight patients. The new system moves beyond simple measurements like body mass index (BMI) and waist size and looks at factors at an individual patient level, bringing the severity of risk factors and related diseases into the equation. |
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