• American College of Sports Medicine on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' "Be Active Your Way" blog, "Reflections on the Anniversary of Let's Move!"
• American Diabetes Association in The New York Times, "Surgery for Diabetes May Be Better than Standard Treatment."
• American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in Health on TODAY "Two Weight-Loss Surgeries? Why Carnie Wilson Tried Again."
• Campaign to End Obesity in Becker's ASC Review, "ACG and Campaign to End Obesity Join to Highlight Link between High BMI and Colorectal Cancer."
• Joslin Diabetes Center in The Boston Globe, "Joslin Plans Online Wave of Diabetes Patient Care."
• Rebecca Puhl, PhD on Business Insider.com, "Sizeism Is Becoming a Weighty Issue for Americans in the Workplace."
• Trust for America's Health in Health Affairs Blog, "Prevention for a Healthier America."

 
New Report Examines Cost-Effectiveness of Preventing Obesity

The Campaign to End Obesity released a report, "Assessing the Economics of Obesity and Obesity Interventions," which argues that the costs of the obesity epidemic are not fully captured by the Congressional Budget Offices' current budgeting methodologies. Noting it may take much longer than 10 years for complications of obesity to manifest, the report advocates instead for a 25-year window for making policy decisions aimed at obesity and chronic disease.

Experts Discuss Approaches for Addressing Obesity in New Patient-Focused Resources

Experts from The Obesity Society, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and Geisinger Obesity Institute discuss approaches for addressing obesity in new materials released by the American College of Physicians Foundation. The patient-focused educational materials and guides are available here.

Help OAC Collect 1,000 Signatures to Fight Obesity Stigma

The Obesity Action Coalition is asking Facebook to evaluate if pages that contain weight bias and discrimination against obese and overweight individuals are violating Facebook's abuse policy and guidelines regarding hate speech of a disease. Facebook pages in question include "Helping the Community by Chasing Fat Kids in Your Car to Fight Obesity," "Kidnapping Fat People with Forklifts" and others. Click here to sign the petition.

Joslin Diabetes Center Names New Executive Vice President

The Joslin Diabetes Center has named Dr. Rajni Aneja as its new executive vice president. Dr. Aneja will support initiatives including Joslin Everywhere, a web portal for doctors and patients to access Joslin research and educational tools, as well as Joslin Inside, an effort to provide other hospitals and health systems with guidance on their population of patients with diabetes. Click here for more information.

CRI to Present at Health Promotion Summit

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research are hosting the 2012 National Health Promotion Summit: Prevention. Promotion. Progress. on April 10-11 in Washington, D.C. Canyon Ranch Institute's (CRI) Life Enhancement Program Manager Chuck Palm, MPH will present about the CRI Life Enhancement Program at the summit.

The Care Continuum Alliance will host its first Capitol Caucus on April 18 in Washington, D.C. The caucus will bring together policymakers and population health management executives for a day of focused briefings on legislative and regulatory issues regarding wellness, prevention and care management. Click here for more information.

Which Doctors Are Happiest? Healthiest?

March 22, 2012
WebMD Health News
By Daniel J. DeNoon

According to Medscape/WebMD's 2012 Physician Lifestyle Report, more than one in three male doctors and over one in four female doctors report they are overweight.  Approximately five percent of male doctors and six percent of female doctors disclosed they were obese.  The survey conducted for this report was fielded to more than 29,000 doctors representing 25 specialties.

Parents Should Lead By Example in Weight Loss, Study Finds

March 22, 2012
HealthDay
By Robert Preidt

A study published in the journal Obesity found that parents' weight loss was the only significant predictor of children's weight loss.  The study's authors said the research confirmed the importance of parents setting an example and establishing healthy eating and exercise behaviors for their children.

More Obese People Have Joint Pain, Heart Conditions

March 20, 2012
USA Today
By Nanci Hellmich

Obese adults are significantly more likely to report having joint pain, heart conditions, high cholesterol and diabetes than people at a healthy weight, according to a survey conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.  Nearly 58 percent of adults who are obese said they suffered from joint pain, whereas only 40 percent of people at healthy weight reported pain.

Work Burnout Tied to "Emotional Eating" in Women: Study

March 13, 2012
Reuters
By Amy Norton

Women experiencing burnout from their jobs may be more likely to turn to food for comfort, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  Study researchers reported these women were more prone to emotional eating or eating when stressed, anxious or depressed, even when they are not hungry.  Study researchers recommended these women address sources of stress first, followed by eating behavior counseling during obesity treatment.

Fat-Bashing: An Acceptable Prejudice?

March 12, 2012
The Huffington Post
By Kristen Houghton

Author Kristen Houghton writes about the prevalence of "fat-bashing" in society and provides examples of it in pop culture including television shows "Mike and Molly" and Kirstie Alley's "Fat Actress," as well as a recent Quizno's advertisement and a PETA billboard.  Houghton notes that while stereotypes related to racism and sexism seems to have decreased over time, there is little evidence that fat stigmatization has declined.  She questions why it is accepted and why little is done to fight it.

Gain Together, Lose Together: The Weight Loss 'Halo' Effect

March 12, 2012
NPR
By Patti Neighmond

Two recent studies suggest that support groups such as family members, friends and co-workers can help individuals lose weight.  A study published in the Archives of Surgery found that family members lost as much as five percent of their initial body weight after one member underwent bariatric surgery.  Another study published in the journal Obesity reported that among individuals enrolled in a team-based weight loss competition, those who lost the most weight were on the same team, suggesting the importance of support groups for weight loss.