Letter From The Director
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Greetings!
Wherever you sit on health reform, it's the single biggest change to our health care system since the passage of Medicare more than four decades ago - and it brings some important improvements for the millions of American adults struggling with obesity and weight-related chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
Several provisions included in the final legislation will increase coverage of prevention and wellness services including obesity screening, intensive nutrition counseling and referral, and improve access to care for those suffering with obesity and other chronic diseases through community health centers and eliminating cost barriers to important services. For the STOP Obesity Alliance, this represents the adoption of one of our core principles that prevention and intervention must be married in order for obesity efforts to be successful.
But amidst the promise of these provisions, lies a reality that threatens to override progress on obesity: the shortage of primary care physicians. Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimated that there is an immediate need for at least 16,000 more primary care physicians - a number that may grow significantly in the next 15 years.
A quick look at the Alliance's just-released primary care surveys provides a window into why this shortage matters to overcoming overweight and obesity.
Our national survey of primary care physicians conducted by Harris Interactive found that 89 percent believe it is their responsibility to help overweight or obese patients lose weight but 71 percent said no one in their practice was trained to deal effectively with obesity. In addition, many of them report not having adequate time, training and resources to do so. Findings show similar concerns among patients who said their providers often leave them in the dark about how to lose weight. In short, America's primary care community may not be large enough or prepared to address obesity.
An Alliance white paper focused on primary care points to some approaches to keep us moving in the right direction, including monitoring weight, health indicators and risk; assessing patient motivation; defining success; increasing integration and care coordination; and, implementing electronic medical records.
Importantly, while primary care may stand front and center in helping people manage weight and chronic disease, it cannot stand alone. We need a comprehensive approach that links weight and health, redefines success to include maintaining a healthy weight and appreciates the dual role of good personal choices and a society where good choices are possible.
Passage of health reform signals the beginning of new possibilities. I look forward to working with each of you to bring those possibilities to life.
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Sincerely,
Christine C. Ferguson, J.D.
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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The STOP Obesity Alliance Releases New Survey Findings and White Paper on Primary Care at March 16 DiscussionThe STOP Obesity Alliance hosted a discussion on the role that the primary care community can play in the fight against obesity on March 16 at The George Washington University. The discussion, led by Alliance Health & Wellness Chairperson Dr. Richard H. Carmona and Alliance Director Christine Ferguson, centered on results from two new surveys conducted by Harris Interactive and a White Paper based on the Alliance's Primary Care roundtable. The panel also included Dr. William Bestermann from the Holston Medical Group in Kingsport, Tenn. and Roz Pierson, Ph.D. of Harris Interactive. More than 100 people attended the event in-person and via the live webcast and the discussion also caught the media's attention, resulting in coverage in USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post and others. If you missed the event, a webcast will be available on the Events page of the Alliance Web site soon. Alliance to Co-Host Roundtable Discussion on Weight and Health on April 2
The STOP Obesity Alliance and the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) will host a roundtable on April 2, 2010 in New York City. The roundtable, " Weighty Matters" Effectively Communicating About Weight and Health, will bring together a unique group of leaders from the media, communications, eating disorders and obesity fields to discuss societal confusion about what is "healthy," and the unrealistic pressure to be thin. The roundtable will also address current perception, dialogue and images in media and entertainment which may be resulting in an increase of body image issues, eating disordered behaviors and obesity. Click here for more information and click here to RSVP for the free event.
Alliance Partner Virgin HealthMiles Now Accepting Nominations for the 2010 "Eye on Wellness" Awards
Virgin HealthMiles is now accepting nominations for their 2010 " Eye on Wellness" Awards. The Awards recognize one organization with an innovative employee health program and an individual who has served as an outstanding wellness advocate and excellent role model for others. Virgin HealthMiles will announce award recipients in June to coincide with National Employee Wellness Month, sponsored by Virgin HealthMiles, the STOP Obesity Alliance and the Institute for Health and Productivity Management. Click here to submit a nomination.
Alliance to Co-Sponsor NHCSL SummitThe STOP Obesity Alliance announced that it will be a co-sponsor of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators' (NHCSL) summit on Hispanic obesity taking place in Washington, D.C. on April 9, 2010. The summit will feature Hispanic state legislators from around the country, gathering to identify comprehensive policy solutions to the crisis of Hispanic obesity. VH1's Dr. Ian Smith will offer the keynote. Attendees will also discuss nutrition, intervention and exercise promotion, among other topics. For more information about the event or to register, click here. Alliance Members in the NewsSeveral Alliance Steering Committee and Associate Members were featured in news stories this month. The National Business Group on Health was featured in a March 12 article in The Washington Post titled " Employers Plan to Shift More Health-Care Costs to Workers, Survey Reports," for their annual employer survey. Dr. William Dietz, CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, discusses how America can tackle the obesity epidemic in a March 14 Newsweek article titled " Culture of Corpulence." Associate Member Rebecca Puhl, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, was featured in a March 15 New York Times essay " For Obese People, Prejudice in Plain Sight" for her research on the stigma of obesity. Dr. Jeff Levi, Trust for America's Health, spoke about the prevention components of the health care bill in a Washington Post March 23 article, " What Does the Bill Do For Prevention?" Joseph Nadgloswki, Jr., Obesity Action Coalition, shared his opinion on the Mississippi lawmakers' weight loss contest in a March 24 Associated Press article, " Fattest State's Lawmakers Shed Pounds, Fried Stuff." Alliance Welcomes HealthyWomen as New Associate MemberThe STOP Obesity Alliance recently welcomed HealthyWomen as its newest Associate Member. The organization is the nation's leading independent health information source for women. Click here for more information on HealthyWomen and other Alliance Associate Members. ADA Celebrates Annual Diabetes "Alert Day"On March 23, 2010, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) celebrated its 22nd Annual "Alert Day," a day dedicated to stop diabetes by taking steps toward prevention. People are encouraged to take the Diabetes Risk Test online and encourage their loved ones to determine if they are part of the 57 million Americans at risk for type 2 diabetes. Click here for more details. The Obesity Society Issues Last Call for Abstract SubmissionsThe abstract submission site for Obesity 2010, the 28th Annual Scientific Meeting of The Obesity Society, is now open. Obesity 2010 brings together clinical researchers, educators, advocates and practitioners in the field of obesity and is dedicated to increasing knowledge, stimulating research and promoting prevention and better treatment for those affected by obesity. All accepted abstracts will be published online as well as in print. The final deadline for abstract submission is April 12, 2010. Click here for more details. ASBP Invites Physicians and Clinicians to the Western Regional Obesity ConferenceThe American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) will hold a Western Regional Obesity Conference April 14-18, 2010 in Seattle, Wash. The event will bring together physicians and clinicians to learn more about major topics in clinical bariatric medicine and up-to-date scientific evidence. Other courses will discuss topics such as the health consequences of obesity, the importance of exercise, patient behaviors, the pathophysiology of obesity and the development of pharmaceuticals to treat obesity. Click here to view the preliminary program and here to register. AHIP to Host Virtual Symposium on Worksite WellnessAmerica's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) will host a virtual symposium on worksite wellness entitled "Moving Beyond Concept: Population Wellness and Benefit Design Solutions that are Immediately Deployable" that will discuss applicable solutions to improve worksite wellness. The symposium, a collection of nine videos, will be released in sets of three on April 21, April 28 and May 5, 2010. AHIP has organized more than nine panels of executive "innovators" within the health plan and employer community. DMAA Releases Survey Results on Employer Support for Health and WellnessDMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance released results from a market analysis, "Population Health Improvement: A Market Survey Report," that found more employers are supporting health and wellness programs. The analysis collected responses from 135 purchasers and providers of health and wellness services and explored a variety of metrics, including intervention types, use of incentives and measures of success. The survey projects that 73 percent of purchasers will offer population health improvement programs over the next 12 months and that 76 percent will do so by the end of 2011. |
News Round-Up
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Better Ways to Help the Public Lose Weight
March 25, 2010
The New York Times
Five obesity experts discuss the stigma of obesity and public initiatives that can promote good eating habits without discriminating against those who are overweight. Contributors included Harriet Brown, author of "Brave Girl Eating: A Family's Struggle with Anorexia;" Kelly Brownell, professor of psychology and director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University; Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, a professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health; Alwyn T. Cohall, the director of the Harlem Health Promotion Center; and Ellyn Satter, a registered dietitian and author of "Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family: How to Eat, How to Raise Good Eaters, How to Cook."
Overcoming Obesity: On the Front Lines of the Battle of the Bulge
March 23, 2010
TIME
TIME Magazine recently published a special report titled "Overcoming Obesity: On the Front Lines of the Battle of the Bulge." Contributors Alice Park, Tiffany O'Callaghan and Bryan Walsh all discuss a range of relevant topics on obesity, including a story on intestinal bugs and weight loss, "brown fat," obesity in infancy and more.
March 17, 2010
The Seattle Medium
Alexa Murray Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that American Indians and Alaska Natives were shown to have a higher rate of childhood obesity than any other race, with 21.2 percent obese. Hispanic children had an 18.5 percent rate of childhood obesity. Dr. Richard H. Carmona, Health and Wellness Chairperson, STOP Obesity Alliance and former U.S. Surgeon General, said there are complex reasons why people of color have been disproportionally affected by childhood obesity. "People of color do not always have the means to buy healthy foods because of their social circumstances and they may be in neighborhoods where it is not safe to go outside and play, so they stay inside," said Carmona.
March 17, 2010
The Washington Post
Jennifer LaRue Huget
In her "Checkup" blog, Huget discusses how doctor-patient conversations about weight aren't always straightforward exchanges of information, based on research and data released by the STOP Obesity Alliance. The research showed that while the vast majority (89 percent) of the 290 primary-care physicians surveyed felt responsible for helping patients manage their weight, most (72 percent) say they lack the resources and training to effectively counsel their overweight and obese patients.
March 16, 2010
The New York Times
Roni Caryn Rabin
Rabin discusses how even though doctors recognize obesity as a health problem it is still hard for them to talk to their patients about it. The results of two surveys, based on a new report released by the STOP Obesity Alliance, suggest both doctors and patients are frustrated with the conversations they're having about weight. The two surveys, one of primary care physicians and the other of patients, found that while most doctors want to help patients lose weight and think it is their responsibility to do so, they often don't know what to say.
Study: Doctors Need Tools to Help Patients Slim Down
March 16, 2010
USA Today
Nanci Hellmich Physicians know they're on the front lines in the fight against obesity, but many say they don't have staff able to help patients with weight loss, according to a survey of 290 primary-care physicians by Harris Interactive. "What came through in the survey is that physicians don't have many of the tools they need to help people succeed," says Christine Ferguson, director of the STOP Obesity Alliance. The STOP Obesity Alliance, which commissioned the surveys, released a position paper to give doctors guidance on treating patients' weight problems during office visits.
March 5, 2010
WebMD
Jennifer Warner
A Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index lists the 10 most obese metropolitan areas in the U.S. and finds that adult obesity rates in each are significantly greater than the national average of 26.5 percent. Obesity rates in the top 10 least obese cities are an average of 15 percent lower than rates found in the nation's top 10 obese metropolitan areas and much lower than the national average of 26.5 percent.
March 4, 2010
The Washington Post
Lyndsay Layton
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration notified 17 food companies that they violated federal laws by making false or misleading claims on their product packaging. In a letter to the food industry, FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg made it clear that accurate food labeling is a priority, considering the national battle against obesity and diet-related diseases, and will work with the food industry to improve nutritional information available to consumers.
In Obesity Epidemic, What's One Cookie?
March 1, 2010
The New York Times
Tara Parker-Pope
In her "Well" blog, Tara Parker-Pope discusses whether or not small changes in diet and exercise can keep children from gaining weight. A recent commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that the "small changes" theory fails to take the body's adaptive mechanisms into account, but does not mean small changes are futile. |
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The Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance receives funding from founding sponsor, sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC and supporting sponsors, Allergan, Inc. and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
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