Letter From The Director
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Greetings!
The most important outcome from health care reform should be improved health - not simply expanded insurance coverage.
But along the way to reforming the system, we lose sight of this fundamental goal. We become consumed with the nitty gritty of financing, system changes and structural details. There is no doubt that getting these aspects right is essential. Tough decisions must be made. But, we can't forget that these steps are supposed to be designed to help us achieve our goal, not become the goals unto themselves.
It's a pattern we've seen in previous health reform efforts and we are beginning to see it again. What triggered my thinking? If you look at the legislative proposals circulating today, there is little direct mention of the health issue that is arguably the biggest threat to successful health reform: obesity. You can't reform America's health system with out addressing obesity. It's just that simple.
The good news? There is still time for change. We have hope for a reformed system that will better recognize the implications - human and financial - tied to preventable chronic diseases in America. We have hope for a system that will not only accept but reward preventive healthcare. And, more importantly, one that recognizes how debilitating obesity is, and puts urgency behind programs and policies that support realistic, evidence-based efforts towards weight loss.
As the conversation and proposals move forth, we encourage policymakers to remember these priorities. As Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) mentioned in a recent statement, "[The American people] go to bed every night second-guessing the agonizing decisions they made that day about what to sacrifice to stay healthy." That needs to be where our national focus lies.
The STOP Obesity Alliance continues for this purpose. The continued involvement of a diverse and powerful membership will be one of the keys to keeping the discussion alive.
As the health reform debate grows increasingly complex, let's not lose sight of the fundamental goal - improving the health of the American people.
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Sincerely,
Christine C. Ferguson, JD
Director, STOP Obesity Alliance
Research Professor
School of Public Health and Health Services
Department of Health Policy
The George Washington University |
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Alliance & Member News
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CDC to Host Inaugural Conference on Obesity Prevention and Control
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity will host its inaugural conference on obesity prevention and control, Weight of the Nation, in Washington, D.C. from July 27 - 29. The conference objectives include unearthing strategies that overcome barriers to the primary prevention of obesity for youth and adults in communities, medical care, schools and workplaces. For more information, click here.
AHA Releases Study on the Impact of Severe Obesity on Surgery The American Heart Association released a study stating that those who are severely obese are at an increased risk for health problems during surgery. To view the full study, click here.
Dr. Rebecca Puhl Interviewed About Celebrity Weight BattlesSTOP Obesity Alliance's Associate Member, Dr. Rebecca Puhl, was interviewed by The New York Times in May on the hype surrounding celebrity weight gain. To read the full article, click here.
Outcomes from the ADA's 69th Scientific Sessions The American Diabetes Association hosted its 69th Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, La. earlier this month. The meeting included continuing education on diabetes, research grant proposals, and presentations on recent discoveries. Abstracts from the meeting are available here. |
News Round-Up
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New CDC Web Site Helps Businesses Address Employee Obesity
June 26, 2009
HealthLeaders Media The CDC has launched a Web site to help businesses tackle the nation's fast-growing obesity crisis. LEANWorks!, which stands for Leading Employees to Activity and Nutrition, was unveiled at a National Business Group on Health meeting today in Washington, D.C. CDC LEANWorks! was developed in direct response to organizations asking the CDC for help in addressing the obesity epidemic and provides the tools that employers need to take action.
Americans are Fatter and More Depressed, But are Choosing Better Health Behaviors
June 25, 2009
HealthLeaders Media
Americans are growing older, fatter, and more depressed, but we're also choosing good health behaviors, such as eating fruits and vegetables, getting flu shots and cancer screenings, and wearing seatbelts, according to a new national health report card. The bi-annual 2009 PRC National Health Report - 1995-2008 Detailed Findings surveyed 1,000 American adults from across the nation on health issues based on the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and other public health surveys.
A Fat Tax That's Hard to Swallow
June 12, 2009
The American
The Senate Finance Committee recently released a set of policy options designed to raise revenue to fill the pending healthcare fiscal hole. One tax proposal is a new idea in Washington: impose a tax on beverages sweetened with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. Historically, such targeted taxes have only applied to "sinful" commodities such as alcohol and tobacco. If this proposal becomes law, soda, energy drinks, iced tea, and even apple juice and chocolate milk will be taxed.
Racial Disparities in Illness Highlighted
June 10, 2009
The Washington Post
A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that black women in the District of Columbia suffer from obesity, diabetes, heart disease and generally poor health in alarmingly high numbers, and white women do not. The study said there is a large disparity in the incidence of certain chronic diseases between black and white women.
Coach Obama: Shape Up Now
June 10, 2009
Politico
President Barack Obama eats his vegetables and exercises every day - and he really wants you to do the same. From the White House garden to his picks for top health jobs, Obama is telling America's McDonald's-loving, couch-dwelling, doctor-phobic populace that things are about to change. Don't be fooled by the presidential burger runs. Obama and Congress are moving across several fronts to give government a central role in making America healthier - raising expectations among public health experts of a new era of activism unlike any before.
With Weight-Loss Surgery, Type of Insurance Counts
June 1, 2009
Reuters
People with private health insurance lose more weight after having weight loss surgery than those covered by the Medicare health insurance program for the elderly and disabled, U.S. researchers said Monday. Medicare patients tend to weigh more before having gastric bypass surgery, they said, and are more likely to be depressed, have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol and sleep apnea.
Study: Why Diabetes Looks Different in Asia
June 1, 2009
Time Magazine
For Asians, it seems, being young and thin isn't enough to ward off Type II diabetes. Though the disease is typically associated with old age and obesity, a study published May 27 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that Asia's growing number of diabetics are relatively young and well under weights traditionally matched with the disease. Once considered a 'western' disease, diabetes has become an increasingly global problem. |
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The Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance receives funding from its sponsors, sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC, founding sponsor, and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., supporting sponsor. |
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