At the conference, there was an important recognition of the balance necessary between heightening awareness of obesity without shaming those who may be struggling with the condition. In particular, the presenters from the obesity and stigma panel shared some startling data including that weight is the most common reason a child is teased or bullied in school.  The stigma surrounding obesity can also mean lower wages for adults, especially for women.  In research conducted by the team here at GW, we found that in 2008, wages were $5,826 less for obese females than normal weight women, a 14.6 percent penalty over their normal weight peers. 

HBO's "Weight of the Nation" documentary also discussed the problem of obesity in the workforce and highlighted the important role of the workplace.  The stories it portrayed about the relationship between office stress, unhealthy eating and weight and examples like the firefighters in Nashville taking steps to eat healthier and exercise at work underscored for me the reasons STOP Obesity Alliance was a founding sponsor of National Employee Wellness Month (NEWM) - now in its fourth year. 

NEWM kicks off June 1 and runs through the entire month with initiatives about the importance of focusing on wellness and healthy behaviors at work.  From a wellness challenge to an awards program, NEWM seeks to motivate both employers and employees to focus on health and develop healthy behaviors that they can stick with throughout the year.  And that's becoming increasingly important as we spend more time at work and more time on the road getting to and from work.  Americans spend approximately 100 hours a year commuting and as recent news informed us, commuters who travel 16 or more miles each way weigh more and have higher blood pressures than those with less than 10-mile commutes.

The NEWM website is full of inspiring stories about employees getting active and making healthier choices with the support of their employers.   Employers understand the importance of investing time and money to support employees in their efforts to be healthier.  A policy brief from this month's Health Affairs found health promotion programs can cut sick leave, health plan costs, and workers compensation and disability costs by about 25 percent. 

More than 130 leading organizations have pledged support for June's National Employee Wellness Month, sponsored by STOP Obesity Alliance, Virgin HealthMiles, Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease and WorldatWork.  I recommend visiting the NEWM website throughout June for updates. You can also register for the NEWM webinar on June 20 at 2 pm ET and watch the STOP Obesity Alliance Twitter and Facebook feeds for more information.

May was a great month for obesity awareness and education.  June is a perfect time for all of us to use National Employee Wellness Month to put some of that great information into action at work!

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

• Alliance Director Christine Ferguson, JD, in American Medical News, "Medicare's New Approach to Familiar Diseases," and POLITICO, "Weight Watchers Summit on the Hill."
• Alliance Clinical Advisor Scott Kahan, MD, MPH in HealthDay, "New Weight-Loss Drug Shows Promise in Trial."
• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on CNN Health.com, "Battling Junk Food in High Schools."
• American Heart Association in HealthDay, "Today's Kids May Be Destined for Adult Heart Disease" and Everyday Health, "A Pressing Reason to Regulate Blood Pressure."
• Black Women's Health Imperative in The New York Times, "The Warning Signs Are There."
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Trust for America's Health in USA Today, "Obesity Fight Needs Ambitious Campaign, Health Leaders Say."
• Obesity Action Coalition in HealthDay, "Being Obese May Make Job Search Tougher."
• Rebecca Puhl, PhD in The Huffington Post, "Women Assume Overweight Women 'Sloppy,' Thin Women 'Mean,' Glamour Magazine Survey Finds," and Reuters, "Insight: America's Hatred of Fat Hurts Obesity Fight."

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) released its yearly report ranking the wellness of the 50 largest metropolitan areas. Report authors examined personal health indicators of a city's population including the prevalence of conditions like hypertension, obesity and diabetes as well as behaviors like smoking and exercise. Click here to download the full report.

Majority of Women Do Not Recognize Link between Obesity and Cancer

HealthyWomen conducted a survey to shed light on women's understanding of obesity and its health consequences. The survey found that while women are knowledgeable about the heart health impact of obesity, they have limited understanding of other serious health consequences like cancer. Only 49 percent of those surveyed recognized the link between obesity and breast cancer, and 29 percent knew about the link between obesity and uterine cancer. Click here for more information on the survey.

TFAH Releases Recommendations to Help Close the Achievement Gap

 
Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and Healthy Schools Campaign released policy recommendations entitled "Health in Mind" to help schools address health and wellness to improve student learning and achievement. The recommendations note that incorporating health and wellness into school culture and environment can support student health, help close the achievement gap and ensure this generation does not become the first in American history to live shorter, less healthy lives than their parents. Click here to read more about the report.

Sister to Sister Launches "Smart for the Heart"

Sister to Sister launched "Smart for the Heart," a free, personalized, online wellness program to improve heart health. The program, a partnership with Brigham and Women's Hospital, includes a health risk assessment, recommendations for lifestyle changes based on the assessment, a meal planner, a nutrition tracker, exercise plans and wellness articles. Click here for more information.

ASMBS to Hold 29th Annual Meeting

American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) will hold its 29th Annual Meeting June 17 - 22 in San Diego, Calif. The conference is designed for all clinical and academic surgeons and support staff who wish to increase their knowledge of the surgical and perioperative management of the obese patient. Educational courses will include integrated health nutrition and mechanisms of obesity and bariatric surgery. Click here for more information.

ASN Hosts Clinical Nutrition Conference

American Society for Nutrition (ASN) will hold its Advances and Controversies in Clinical Nutrition 2012 conference June 22 - 24 in Chicago, Ill. Presentation topics include the role of diet in bariatric surgery and weight loss plans. Click here for more information.  

Hospitals are incorporating plus-size furniture and equipment such as scales that go up to 800 pounds, stretchers that can hold 500-pound patients and toilets made to support half a ton to accommodate heavier patients and their families. Plus-size furniture and equipment can cost 50 percent more than conventional equipment, which economists say will ultimately be passed on to the public in the form of higher medical bills.

Health of US Tied to Education Gap, Researchers Report

May 16, 2012
Bloomberg
By Elizabeth Lopatto

A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics found that obesity rates are twice as high among boys and three times as high for girls from families whose head of the household did not have a bachelor's degree as compared with those from more educated households. The report also found that lower education levels correlate with shorter life expectancies.

Doctors and Insurers Are Key to Fighting Obesity

May 12, 2012
Kaiser Health News
By Judith Graham

In a new report that identifies obesity prevention strategies, the Institute of Medicine urges health professionals and insurers to track body mass index (BMI), a ratio of height to weight, as a vital sign at medical checkups. The article notes that professional medical societies have recommended physicians monitor BMI for years, but according to a 2006 survey, less than half of family physicians checked BMI for children over the age of 2. 

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee voted 18-to-4 to recommend approval of the prescription weight-loss drug lorcaserin, made by Arena Pharmaceuticals. Lorcaserin is meant to be used in combination with a healthy diet and exercise and triggers weight loss by influencing brain chemistry to make dieters feel more full. If lorcaserin is approved later this year, it could be the first obesity drug approved in over a decade.

Nearly 42 percent of American adults will be obese by 2030, with nearly one-quarter of that group severely obese, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Study authors noted that if obesity stays at its current prevalence of 34 percent of adults and does not increase, the United States would save nearly $550 billion in health care costs.

In a study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, two-thirds of mothers inaccurately assessed their child's weight, with many of them incorrectly believing their overweight toddlers were a healthy weight. Study researchers suggested doctors make a better effort to talk with families about what a healthy weight is for young children.

By Denise Mann

A study published in the journal Cancer Research found that moderate weight loss can reduce levels of inflammation that have been tied to certain cancers in postmenopausal women. Study researchers reported that older women who lost at least five percent of their body weight showed significant reductions in key inflammatory blood markers associated with increased risk for several cancers, including breast, colon, lung and endometrial cancer.