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October, 2009

Letter From The Director
Greetings!
  
Can you hear it?  It's the sound of change building.  A collective effort is underway to address our nation's obesity crisis and create better health outcomes.  And though I know we have a long way to go, I can confidently say that action is being taken and progress is being made.  
  
This week, The Obesity Society held its 27th Annual Scientific Meeting, which featured discussions around cutting-edge obesity research and policy solutions.  Of particular note are the key points coming out of the advocacy forum, "Can We Reform Health Care Without a Sound Obesity Policy?"  The discussion, co-sponsored by the STOP Obesity Alliance and the Obesity Action Coalition, addressed the need for obesity to be recognized for what it is - a complex issue that requires coordinating multiple aspects of care and policy including medical interventions, community-based preventions, behavioral change and policies that promote healthy choices. 
 
Several Alliance members took part in the conversation and were encouraged to hear the thoughtful discussion on necessary health reforms to both stem the tide of obesity and change the way we view this condition.  Reports about U.K. strategies for addressing obesity, presented at the forum by representatives of the U.K. Department of Health Policy, and insights on how these strategies could translate to us here in America, were particularly interesting to me. 
  
Also this month, the World Health Congress sponsored the
Fourth Annual Obesity Congress.  This dynamic conference featured an array of thought leaders across many health care disciplines - from researchers, health insurers and health care providers to benefits managers, state health officials and public health officers.  The Congress explored various areas to address obesity including workplace initiatives, childhood interventions and medical specialties.
 
Since the Alliance released its 
health reform policy recommendationswe're happy to see greater attention in Congressional health reform proposals to addressing obesity as part of their strategies to improve health outcomes and reduce health care spending.  The media, too, has begun to talk about obesity in a more robust way, including the recent USA Today story which emphasized the important role of primary care providers in the fight against obesity.  

Certainly, success will not come without our continued and collective work to break down the barriers blocking change.  The policies of tomorrow must reflect the progress of today.  But I can hear change coming. 
 
 
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
Christine Ferguson
In This Issue
Alliance & Member News

News Round-Up


Alliance & Member News

Alliance and OAC Co-Sponsored Obesity Policy Forum at The Obesity Society 27th Annual Scientific Meeting
The Alliance and Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) co-sponsored, "Can We Reform Health Care Without a Sound Obesity Policy?," an obesity policy forum at The Obesity Society (TOS)'s Obesity 2009 meeting which took place this month.  The forum encouraged conversation to build awareness around the need for sound obesity policy, generate thoughtful discussion on the relationship between obesity, chronic disease and health reform, and build connections between scientific and policy leaders.  Forum panelists included Richard Atkinson, chair, TOS Advocacy Task Force; Susan Jebb, chair, U.K. MRC Expert Advisory Group on Obesity; Anne Wolf, University of Virginia; Alliance Steering Committee Member Jeff Levi, executive director, Trust for America's Health, and was moderated by Ted Kyle, the Alliance's Steering Committee representative for TOS.  For more information on the forum and meeting, click here.   

USA Today Article Features STOP Obesity Alliance
In an October 7 USA Today article titled "Doctors Join Fight Against Obesity," internist Dr. William Bestermann, Jr., medical director, Holston Medical Group in Kingsport, T.N., explains his tactics for discussing weight with his patients.  Although a patient's weight is often a very difficult subject, Bestermann said, "If doctors are serious about keeping patients from having heart attacks and strokes, they have to have this conversation, and they have to help their patients lose weight."  The article goes on to talk about Bestermann's efforts with the Alliance to develop recommendations for physicians on how to guide and treat overweight patients.  The article also includes comment from Alliance Director Christine Ferguson, who said, "He [Dr. Bestermann] has been a phenomenal advocate to convince patients and physicians that they are a team attacking this problem together."  To read the full article, click here.
 
STOP Obesity Alliance Director Chairs Fourth Annual Obesity Congress
STOP Obesity Alliance Director Christine Ferguson chaired the Fourth Annual Obesity Congress September 30 - October 2, 2009, in Alexandria, V.A. Key Washington insiders, industry-leading wellness advocates and world-renowned employer groups discussed combating the economic burden of obesity through wellness initiatives and behavioral modification. Points of conversation included: understanding how health care reform is a key driver in increasing obesity awareness and enabling higher quality care; developing health plan initiatives to expand coverage and incentivize reimbursements for early interventions and obesity treatments; and, discovering ways to align business and public policies to support healthy choices as the "default" option. Other speakers included representatives from Alliance Steering Committee organizations American Heart Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity and The Obesity Society.  Behavioral Health Central featured the event in a recent article titled, "STOP Obesity Alliance Director Chairs Fourth Annual Obesity Congress."  For more information on the event, click here
 
Alliance's National Employee Wellness Month Partner, Virgin HealthMiles, Pens Editorial on Prevention Benefits
Sean Forbes, president of Virgin HealthMiles, writes in an October 26 editorial, "An Ounce of Prevention," published on CNN Money.com's Fortune Brainstorm Tech page, that health is not a matter of luck, but rather smart choices.  According to Forbes, companies can't afford to wait for a federal bailout.  Instead, forward-thinking companies are taking matters into their own hands and are starting in the workplace by rewarding employees who become or stay healthy, using a mix of technology and cash incentives.  Click here to read the full article.
 
Alliance Associate Member Organization ACPM Quoted in Chicago Tribune Article
In an October 25 Chicago Tribune article, entitled "Making Health Care About Health," American College of Preventive Medicine Executive Director Mike Barry said: "Health reform gives us a great opportunity to shift the focus.  Instead of pulling out a prescription pad, we want to see physicians prescribing lifestyle changes."  Barry's comment is in reference to the growing sense that America's health care system is broken, evidenced by the fact that every serious proposal for health reform includes measures to promote healthier lifestyles and minimize the burden of disease.  The article notes that the importance of prevention is overshadowed by a focus on treating illness and a reliance on expensive medical technologies and procedures.  To read the full article, click here
 
President & CEO of OAC Quoted in Recent Associated Press Article
Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) President & CEO Joe Nadglowski was quoted in an October 22 Associated Press article, "Ambulances Start Charging Extra for Obese Patients."  The article focuses on ambulance crews' efforts to improve how they transport extremely heavy patients who become significantly more difficult to move as they surpass 350 pounds.  The article reports that some ambulance companies have started charging higher fees for especially overweight people, while critics say the higher fees are a form of discrimination.  Nadglowski said that, ''Ambulance services are a critical public service and should accommodate the needs of all of those who require them at a fair cost."  To read the full article, click here.

Alliance Director and Steering Committee Member Quoted in Employee Benefit News Article on CDC LEAN Works! Web site
An October 1 Employee Benefit News article, "CDC Offers Web-Based Weapon to Fight Obesity," included comments from both Alliance Director Christine Ferguson and Steering Committee Member LuAnn Heinen, vice president, National Business Group on Health (NBGH),
regarding the LEAN Works! Web site and best strategies for employers to address obesity in the workplace.   Ferguson says the CDC's site can help employees and employers successfully combat obesity - something that so far they haven't been able to do.  And, Heinen of NBGH says that to effectively address obesity in the workplace, we need to "engage leadership, site managers and the grass roots.  You really need to see what people want.  The programs need to fit the culture...the point is to create an overall environment where it's easier to do the healthy behaviors, like walking and eating fruit."  To read the full article, click here and view the LEAN Works! Web site here.
 
STOP Obesity Alliance Welcomes Newest Associate Members
Four new groups recently joined the Alliance as Associate Members: American College of Preventive Medicine, a national professional society for physicians committed to disease prevention and health promotion; American Sleep Apnea Association, the only nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about sleep apnea; Healthcare Leadership Council, a forum for the nation's health care leaders to jointly develop policies, plans and programs to achieve affordable, high-quality care; and, Surgical Review Corporation, an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the safety, efficacy and efficiency of bariatric and metabolic surgical care worldwide.  To find more information on all of the Alliance Steering Committee and Associate Members, click here.
 
AHIP to Host Fall Forum 2009
As the health care reform discussions continue in Washington, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) will host Fall Forum 2009 November 16-18 in Chicago.  This year's forum, "Preparing for a New Health Care Landscape," will address the most important reform topics to help health care and business thought leaders anticipate the changes ahead.  Forum attendees will learn about some of the most innovative products and services available that help health insurance plans continue to provide high quality, accessible and affordable health care.  To register for the conference, please click here
 
Join ADA National Movement to Stop Diabetes
In honor of American Diabetes Month, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is creating a national movement to stop diabetes.  The ADA is asking America to take a bolder, more audacious approach to American Diabetes Month by sharing personal stories via Facebook and Twitter, participating in ADA walks and bike tours, taking advantage of ADA resources to learn more about diabetes and its risk factors, and giving time and resources to a local ADA office to raise money for diabetes research, federal and state advocacy and public education.  Click here for more information and to find out about programs and activities happening in your local community.

News Round-Up
Reader Response: Should People With Healthier Lifestyles Get Cheaper Insurance?
October 26, 2009
The New York Times
Uwe E. Reinhardt

Reinhardt, an economics professor at Princeton University, notes that several readers replied to his recent article about the case for mandating health insurance, proposing that insurers be allowed to charge higher premiums for people with unhealthy lifestyles.  Reinhardt points out the problem of determining how such an idea would be implemented in practice, citing the example of obesity.  Reinhardt says that to determine how to charge for obesity, "Presumably an insurance company would somehow ascertain an applicant's biomass and then somehow determine how much of any overweight is due to avoidable unhealthy behavior, and how much is rooted in genetic factors. Good luck!"
 
Scientists Seek Origins of Obesity in the Womb
October 23, 2009
The Associated Press
Malcolm Ritter


New research suggests that something in an obese woman can program her fetus toward becoming an overweight or obese child and adult.  It's not about simply passing along genes that promote obesity, it's some sort of mysterious signal.  The idea has only recently entered conversations between doctors and female patients, and scientists are scrambling to track down a biological explanation that may provide new ways to block obesity from crossing generations.

Just a Little Respect? Not for Obese Patients
October 22, 2009
Time
Catherine Guthrie

 
A new study seems to confirm what many obese people have long suspected - that doctors think less of their heaviest patients.  For the study, published in the November issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, M.D., found that (on average) the higher a patient's BMI, the lower the level of the physician's respect.  The study authors postulate that a general lack of physician respect plays a role in obese patients steering clear of the health care system and, therefore, missing out on preventive care and health education opportunities.

October 14, 2009
U.S. News & World Report
Bernadine Healy, M.D.

Bernadine Healy, M.D. writes that obesity has become "Public Health Enemy No. 1," and that discriminating against these people in social and employment settings seems to be gaining on the politically correct scale.  In response to this new trend, Healy writes that the interaction of genes that predispose people to be overweight or obese with a host of environmental triggers makes obesity incredibly complex.  Genes don't change in a few decades, but environments do - and this interplay, while poorly understood, accounts for the huge rise in obesity in both adults and children over the past 30 years.

It's Not My Fault: Why Personal Responsibility Only Goes So Far in Solving our Health-Care Crisis
October 14, 2009
Newsweek.com
Jeneen Interlandi

Newsweek columnist Interlandi suggests that there is an incredible distinction between personal responsibility and genetic predisposition when it comes to controlling one's health. She suggests that her unhealthy food choices alone should make her a prime candidate for both type 2 diabetes and obesity - but she is 5'3" and has never weighed more than 105 lbs. "I'd like to take credit for showing restraint at the pastry shop, but the truth is, I have no restraint.  What I do have is a lightning-quick metabolism acquired through a twist of genetic fate.  In fact, twists of genetic fate have a significant influence on who develops not only diabetes but also a range of chronic diseases."


Michelle Obama Sounds Warning Over Childhood Obesity
October 13, 2009
CBSNews.com
Amanda Sterling
 
First Lady Michelle Obama put a spotlight on the importance of good nutrition and children's health during a speech at the Department of Health and Human Services, continuing her campaign for healthy eating habits to fight rising obesity rates.  "Nearly a third of all children in this country are overweight or obese...and a third will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lifetimes," Obama said. "It is a major public health threat right now, so just imagine what we're going to be facing in 20 or 30 years if we don't get on this issue."

If Your Waistline Grows, Should Your Premiums, Too?
October 8, 2009
The New York Times
Michelle Andrews

Provisions in health care legislation under consideration in Congress would allow employers and insurers to offer premium discounts of as much as 50 percent to employees in workplace wellness programs who meet specific health targets, such as keeping their weight, cholesterol and blood pressure within healthy ranges.  Under current law, discounts for meeting these kinds of health targets can be no greater than 20 percent of the total premium.  An amendment passed by the Senate Finance Committee would raise that cap to 30 percent and permit the secretaries of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury to increase the cap to 50 percent at their discretion.  A similar provision appears in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Bill.

Jumpstarting a Wellness Society
October 6, 2009
The Hill
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)

Senator Tom Harkin applauds the Senate Finance Committee and chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) for conducting an open, bipartisan process in working on its health reform bill, but writes that a critical, transformational element of the emerging legislation has been largely overlooked.  He claims that we currently do not have a health care system in the United States, rather we have a sick-care system.  Harkin writes that the Senate Finance Committee's bill, including a robust array of provisions promoting wellness and prevention, will fall short without requiring insurance companies to reimburse for the whole range of preventive services - everything from cancer screening to smoking-cessation to nutrition counseling - without any co-pays or deductibles.  The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Bill requires this reimbursement.

Calorie Postings Don't Change Habits, Study Finds
October 6, 2009
The New York Times
Anemona Hartocollis

A group of professors at New York University and Yale University tracked customers at four fast-food chains - McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken - in poor neighborhoods of New York City where there are high rates of obesity.  The study found that about half the customers said they noticed the calorie counts, which were prominently posted on menu boards, and 9 out of 10 of those said they had made healthier choices as a result.  But when the researchers checked receipts afterward, they found that people had, in fact, ordered slightly more calories than the typical customer had before the labeling law went into effect in July 2008.
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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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