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January, 2011

Letter From The Director
Greetings! 
 
We are off to a busy start to the year as the healthcare reform debate some thought might be behind us continues.  It's hard to know which way to turn with concurrent deliberations on possible repeal on the one hand and how to move forward with implementation on the other. 
 
Knowing how engaged the public has been on healthcare discussions, I found some recent news about where obesity ranks in the public's list of top policy priorities for 2011 troubling.  The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press just released its annual survey of the public's policy agenda priorities and found that obesity is dead last with only 19 percent of people rating it a top priority.  

Even though Medicare, health care costs and health care legislation all are ranked within the top ten of issues, obesity falls all the way to the bottom, just below global warming.  And this is true even with the daily reports linking obesity and its many co-morbid conditions - everything from diabetes to sleep apnea - and other studies showing the incredible costs associated with being overweight or obese.  Clearly, there is a disconnect in the public's mind about just how obesity fits into our larger health policy debates.  Perhaps it is the continued reluctance to see obesity as more than an individual person's own responsibility and thus worthy of policymaker action.  Perhaps we see the importance of intervening, but feel overwhelmed by the problem and see little in the way of effective solutions. 

Whatever the reason, we have to find a way to push this issue to the top.  We will be unsuccessful in righting our healthcare system without effectively addressing obesity - the costs are just too high.

Just look at a separate recent study from the Society of Actuaries that found obesity costs the United States and Canada $300 billion per year.  The figure exceeds the combined amount the federal government spent in 2010 on the Department of Transportation ($72.5 billion) Department of State ($51.7 billion), Department of Education ($46.7 billion), Department of Homeland Security ($42.7 billion), Department of Energy ($26.3 billion), Department of Agriculture ($26.0 billion) and Department of Justice ($23.9 billion). 

That's a big bill to pay - and it comes at a time when we are becoming increasingly aware of the weight of our federal deficit, as well as the inability of states across the country to make ends meet. We talked about the states' struggles with obesity at a recent Congressional briefing hosted by Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to release TFAH's annual "F as in Fat" report.  States are literally weighed down by this problem and strapped to find funds to pay for it.  

Government spending is just the beginning, of course.  In December, the Society for Women's Health Research hosted a Capitol Hill briefing where I discussed the personal economic costs of obesity, specifically for women.  In case you missed our report, it's more than $2,000 higher for women than men. 

There is no doubt that central to addressing overweight and obesity is personal responsibility, but we do need a society where making good personal choices is possible.


Looking ahead to the rest of 2011, I look forward to working with all of the members of the STOP Obesity Alliance - nearly 50 organizations and counting - to continue demonstrating the real costs of the obesity epidemic, both in terms of health and finances, and the need for feasible solutions.  The more we can do to make the link, the more action we are likely to see among all stakeholders.  And we might even see obesity climb the list of issues as we all understand it's a priority to address.



 
Sincerely,

Christine C. Ferguson, J.D.
Director, STOP Obesity Alliance
Professor, School of Public Health and Health Services
Department of Health Policy
The George Washington University		christy
In This Issue
Alliance & Member News
News Round-Up

Alliance & Member News

Alliance Members in the News 

Several Alliance Steering Committee and Associate Members were featured in news stories this month including:

 

AHA Releases Policy Statement on Future of Cardiovascular Disease

The American Heart Association (AHA) released new projections on the cost of treating heart diseases in the United States in a report, "Collision Course: America's Baby Boomers and Cardiovascular Disease."  At a press conference in Washington, D.C., Nancy Brown, AHA's chief executive officer, discussed findings from the report that show that by 2030, the total annual costs of cardiovascular disease to the nation will nearly equal today's federal deficit.  According to the report, the costs could escalate further due to the rising rates of obesity and other risk factors.  The findings are part of a policy statement from the AHA urging effective prevention strategies to limit the growing burden of cardiovascular disease and are published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.  Click here to view the press release from the event.  

 

NQF to Host 2011 Annual Conference and Membership Meeting
The National Quality Forum (NQF) will host its 2011 Annual Conference and Membership Meeting, "Achieving Health of Individuals and Populations Within Their Communities," Feb. 24-25 in Washington, D.C.  The two-day event includes a membership meeting and public sessions addressing key policy and implementation issues.  Keynote speakers include Dr. Regina Benjamin, U.S. Surgeon General; Dr. Carolyn M. Clancy, administrator, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; and Bernard Tyson, executive vice president, Kaiser Permanente.  Click here to register and click here for more information about the meeting.  

 

Winter Issue of OAC's "Your Weight Matters" Now Available
The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) released the winter 2011 edition of Your Weight Matters, the official magazine of the OAC which includes educational and advocacy information geared toward those affected by obesity.  Each issue features information on a broad range of weight-related topics, including obesity-related conditions, childhood obesity, nutrition and current advocacy news.  To view the PDF of this winter's magazine, click here, and to order a copy of the magazine, click here. 

 

ACPM to Host Preventive Medicine 2011
The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) will host Preventive Medicine 2011, "Prevention and Quality in a New Era," Feb. 16-19 in San Antonio, Texas.  The conference will focus on updates and innovations in clinical preventive and lifestyle medicine, prevention policy, public health practice, and medical quality.  Click here for more information about the conference, and click here to register. 

 

ACSM and ADA Jointly Release Joint Position Statement on Physical Activity
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) issued a joint position statement including guidelines on exercise for people with diabetes.  The guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise, spread over at least three days.  The guidelines were published in ACSM's official journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.  To view the guidelines, click here.


News Round-Up

"Healthy" Waist May Be a Bit Bigger For Black Women

January 25, 2011
Reuters
Amy Norton

 

A study published in the journal, Obesity, found that the definition of a 'healthy' waistline may be larger for African-American women than for white women.  The researchers suggest that the average black woman can be heavier than her white counterpart before her risk for heart disease and diabetes start to climb dramatically.
 

Weight Loss's Link to Better Health Questioned

January 24, 2011
The Washington Post
Jennifer LaRue Huget


Experts are questioning the connection between overweight and poor health.  Nutritionists Linda Bacon and Lucy Aphramor released a report in the online Nutrition Journal suggesting that changing eating and physical activity behaviors without regard for their effect on weight is more likely to improve one's health. 

 

New Nutrition Labels Coming to the Front of Food Packages

William Neuman
January 24, 2011
The New York Times


As part of an industry-wide program announced by food makers and grocers, the front of many food packages will prominently display important nutrition information, including calorie, fat and sugar content as part of a voluntary label plan inspired by Michelle Obama. 

 

Wal-Mart Shifts Strategy to Promote Healthy Foods

January 20, 2011
The New York Times
Sheryl Gay Stolberg

 

Wal-Mart is announcing a five-year plan to reduce the amount of unhealthy salts, fats and sugars in thousands of its packaged foods.  Wal-Mart also plans to drop the prices on fruits and vegetables.  The plan is similar to efforts by other companies and to public health initiatives by New York City.

 

Study: What Does Race Have to Do with Obesity Counseling?

January 13, 2011
Time
Meredith Melnick


Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health conducted a study to see if racial disparities in providing care exacerbated existing challenges faced by obese patients during regular doctors' visits.  According to the results, black patients were less likely to receive counseling on weight reduction and exercise than their white counterparts, regardless of the physician's race. 


Study: Obesity Costs $300B a Year 

January 10, 2011
South Florida Business Journal


According to a study from the Society of Actuaries, those who are overweight and obese in the U.S. and Canada cost $300 billion a year, a result of increased need for medical care, as well as loss of economic productivity due to death and disability.

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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 sponsor, Allergan, Inc.

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