Letter From The Director
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Greetings!
The President's 2012 budget request has been released and Congressional debate is in full swing over the numbers, the debt ceiling, the elimination of funding for health reform implementation and outright repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). At the same time, most state legislatures are in session and grappling with their own challenging budget choices in a still uncertain economy. There is no question that difficult decisions and debates are in store for the nation this year.
There are some bright spots on the horizon for those of us concerned about obesity and related chronic disease. The President's budget request includes Food and Drug Administration (FDA) funding for several obesity-related programs in the areas of nutrition, food and menu labeling, and personalized medicine. In its efforts to enable American consumers to make more informed and healthful food choices and reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, FDA has requested $1.35 million (in addition to its FY 2010 base level funding of $24 million) to modernize food labels and develop nutritional criteria for front-of-package labeling. Similarly, FDA has requested an additional $2.5 million to implement the chain restaurant menu and vending machine labeling requirements now required under the Affordable Care Act. In addition, FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research has requested a continuation of its $24.2 million base funding to continue research in personalized nutrition and medicine, including research aimed at identifying genetic, environmental and cultural diversity factors that may lead to obesity or affect individual responses to obesity treatments.
Separately, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a $750 million investment in prevention and public health for FY 2011, funded by the Prevention and Public Health Fund in the ACA. Nearly $222 million will go toward the implementation of the Community Transformation Grant program and state and community initiatives to prevent obesity and other conditions. An additional $16 million will be used specifically for White House initiatives to improve nutrition and reduce the prevalence of obesity-related conditions among children, such as the First Lady's "Let's Move!" campaign and the President's Childhood Obesity Task Force.
But we are still not seeing the kind of approach that would encompass the cycle of preventive measures and interventions we see as necessary for two-thirds of Americans already affected by overweight and obesity. In fact, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued a draft Recommendation Statement downgrading to "grade C" its former "grade B" recommendation calling for clinicians to provide behavioral counseling interventions that encourage a healthful diet and/or physical activity to prevent cardiovascular disease, particularly for adults who do not have pre-existing cardiovascular disease or its associated risk factors. If adopted, the USPSTF would no longer recommend routine provision of behavioral counseling to this group. Instead, USPSTF would advise clinicians to "consider selectively providing or referring individual patients for medium- or high- intensity behavioral counseling interventions."
While the recommendation does not apply to adults with pre-existing risk factors, such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, or CVD, it is important to note the impact that this recommendation could have on patient access to preventive services guaranteed under the ACA in general. Given the many efforts underway to increase the availability and accessibility of primary care and preventive services, this is a disturbing proposal. USPSTF is accepting comments on the draft Recommendation Statement until March 22. Many STOP Obesity Alliance members have expressed concern about this change and we are pulling together their thoughts on this issue.
This promises to be a full and difficult year as states and the federal government attempt to deal with the uncertainty of the economy, the politics of the budget and the challenge of implementing the ACA under the threat of repeal or defunding. There is an old blessing (or curse): "May you live in interesting times" - for those of us looking to make a positive difference in the fields of health and health care, there is no question that we do!
| 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 |  |
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Alliance & Member News
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Alliance Members in the News
Several Alliance Steering Committee and Associate Members were featured in news stories this month including:
Alliance Welcomes New Associate Members
The STOP Obesity Alliance recently welcomed DiabetesSisters and the COSHAR Foundation as its newest Associate Members. DiabetesSisters works to improve the health and quality of life of women with or at risk of developing diabetes and advocate on their behalf. The COSHAR Foundation reaches out to underserved communities, focusing on health education, empowerment and outreach. Click here for more information on these and other Alliance Members.
AHA Releases New Guidelines for Prevention of CVD in Women The American Heart Association (AHA) released updated cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention guidelines for women, focusing on what works best in the "real world" as opposed to clinical research settings. The guidelines consider personal and socioeconomic factors that can inhibit women from following medical advice and treatment, and help women and their doctors understand risks and take practical next steps to prevent heart disease and stroke. Click here to read the press release and here to read the journal article.
Walk From Obesity with ASMBS and OAC
The American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) are joining forces to hold the annual Walk from Obesity to raise awareness of obesity, childhood obesity and morbid obesity. Funds raised from the events support the ASMBS Foundation and its research and professional education initiatives, and the patient and general public educational and advocacy programs of the Obesity Action Coalition. Click here to view the Walk brochure and here to visit the Walk's website.
NHMA's 15th Annual Conference
The National Hispanic Medical Association's (NHMA) 15th Annual Conference will take place March 17-20 in Washington, D.C. The conference will bring together experts from across the nation to share their multi-disciplinary experiences in improving health care delivery for Hispanic populations. Click here to register and here to view the agenda.
AHA Specialty Sessions on Nutrition and Cardiovascular Disease
The American Heart Association (AHA) will host the Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2011 Scientific Sessions from March 22-24 and the Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention 2011 Scientific Sessions from March 23-25 in Atlanta, Ga. The conferences encourage and promote the development, advancement and exchange of new information related to heart disease and stroke. Click here to register and here for more information.
BEDA 2011 Annual Meeting to Discuss Recovery and Associated Conditions
The Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) 2011 Annual Meeting, "Coming into the Light: Strategies and Hope for Recovery in BED and Associated Conditions," will take place March 31-April 2 in Scottsdale, Ariz. Topics will include the latest research, clinical treatment tools, obesity, food addiction, advocacy, the "war on obesity," health-at-every-size and more. Click here to register, here to view the agenda and here for additional information.
AMWA's 96th Annual Meeting
The American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) 96th Annual Meeting will take place April 1-3 in Washington, D.C. in conjuction with Women's Health 2011: The 19th Annual Congress. Topics include prevention, healthcare reform, obesity and diabetes management. Click here to register and here for more information.
CRI featured in Launch of "Healthy People 2020"
Canyon Ranch Institute (CRI) Communications and Operations Director Jan McIntire was a featured speaker at the launch of Healthy People 2020, where she spoke about the importance of Healthy People 2020 as a "compass" for organizations seeking to improve public health and expressed CRI's support of the Healthy People 2020 goals . Click here to watch the Healthy People 2020 video and here to read more. |
News Round-Up
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F.D.A. Approves Band Device for Less Obese
February 16, 2011
The New York Times
Andrew Pollack
The FDA approved wider use of Allergan's Lap-Band, lowering the weight requirement for people who have a health problem related to obesity, like hypertension or diabetes. The company estimates that more than 26 million Americans will be newly eligible for the surgery, more than doubling the 15 million to 18 million eligible under the old standard.
For Actresses, Is a Big Appetite Part of the Show?
February 15, 2011
The New York Times
Jeff Gordinier
This article discusses what one longtime film publicist, Jeremy Walker, has coined the "documented instance of public easting," or DIPE. In DIPE-scenarious, a writer meets a starlet for a meal to interview them for a story and the starlet "appears to thwart our expectations by ordering and consuming, with conspicuous relish, a meal that might satisfy a hungry dockworker." The article goes on to discuss the potential commentary on societal standards such fixation on celebrity nourishment could raise.
Obesity Alone Raises Risk of Fatal Heart Attack, Study Finds
February 14, 2011
HealthDay News
Alan Mozes
A study published in the journal Heart found that obese men face a dramatically higher risk of dying from a heart attack, regardless of whether or not they have other known risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Researchers suggest chronic inflammation, which typically accompanies significant weight gain, might be the driving force behind the increased risk. The finding stems from an analysis involving roughly 6,000 middle-aged men, and it suggests that there is something about carrying around excess weight that contributes to heart disease independent of risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and arterial disease.
Obesity Has Nearly Doubled Worldwide Since 1980: Report
February 4, 2011
HealthDay News
Randy Dotinga
A set of three studies published in The Lancet show that obesity is on the rise worldwide-it has doubled since 1980-but people in the wealthiest nations are managing to reduce their blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The findings suggest that medicine may be helping those in Western countries fend off some of the physical effects of weighing too much.
F.D.A. Declines to Approve Diet Drug
February 1, 2011
The New York Times
Andrew Pollack
The FDA declined to approve Orexigen Therapeutics' diet pill, Contrave, and stated that to win approval the company must first conduct a long-term study to demonstrate that the drug does not raise the risk of heart attacks. Unlike the two drugs rejected last year, Contrave was endorsed by an FDA advisory committee in December that voted that such a study could be done after the drug was approved. |
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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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