Greetings!  

Myths, misconceptions and misinformation about obesity and weight remain pervasive.  These can make an already difficult task - managing weight and health - even more challenging and can fuel weight stigma, which is as pervasive in our society as the myths themselves.

That's why I was excited to read a recent article published by several of my colleagues, led by Dr. David Allison, in the New England Journal of Medicine. The article discussed commonly held myths and misconceptions about obesity, along with several research-supported facts.

While the ensuing media and public debate about this article tended to focus on (and fight about!) the myths, I took particular interest in their list of facts - in part because I found them to be even more myth-busting than the myths themselves.

For example, a commonly held belief that permeates our society is that nothing works for obesity treatment.  Not true, says the article.  In fact, the article highlights that there is substantial evidence supporting the use of meal replacement products, medications and bariatric surgery.  Missing from their list are several others, notably counseling.  The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently conducted a comprehensive scientific review of the published literature on counseling for obesity, affirming that multicomponent behavioral interventions are effective and recommending intensive counseling for individuals with a BMI of 30 or higher.

Another fact that Dr. Allison and colleagues pointed out is the importance and value of environmental changes.  The article states that moderate environmental changes can improve weight and health as much as the best clinical treatments.  This is certainly consistent with the experiences we've had in dealing with other public health epidemics, such as tobacco use, and must be a core piece of our strategic approach to managing the obesity epidemic.  

These facts align with STOP's core principles - in particular, that the work to end obesity cannot end with personal responsibility.

We must continue to bust pervasive societal misconceptions that suggest we all just need to have more "willpower" in order to manage weight. Rather, working to create and nurture supportive environments - those that make the healthy choice the easy choice - and ensuring access to effective, evidence-based treatments, when indicated, is essential.  

This principle and the Alliance's other policy recommendations that focus on addressing obesity, promoting innovation in research and reducing weight stigma to achieve better health outcomes help to ground us in our efforts to address obesity and improve the public's health.

When talking about something as complex as obesity, it's inevitable that there will be misperceptions and confusion along the way, and it's difficult to find a definitive set of studies that confirms or denies our suspicions about what the causes are and how to stem the tide.  But we do know that addressing multi-faceted issues like obesity requires multi-faceted and individualized approaches.  And it is important that we continue to remain open to productive dialogue grounded in scientific research about how to move forward.

Best,

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

• Alliance Policy Advisor Morgan Downey, JD on NPR Morning Edition, "Being Obese Can Weigh on Employees' Insurance."
• American College of Sports Medicine and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in USA TODAY, "Family Sheds Almost 40 Pounds in a Month" and "Fitness Challenge: Moore Family Moving, Less Soda."
• American Diabetes Association on WebMD, "1 in 8 Americans Diagnosed With Type 2 Diabetes" and CBS Miami, "Parents Face Diabetes Discrimination in Schools, Daycares."
• American Heart Association in U.S. News and World Report, "The Truth About Women's Heart Health" and in HealthDay, "Belly Fat May Raise Odds of Early Death for Thin Heart Patients."
• Rebecca Puhl, PhD in HealthDay, "People Seem More Accepting of Food Addiction Than Other Vices" and ABC News, "Cory Booker, Amid Christie Weight Flap, Starts Diet Program in Newark."

CCA Forum 2013 Call for Proposals

The Care Continuum Alliance (CCA) has opened the Call for Proposals for its annual conference, CCA Forum 2013, to be held October 23-25 in Scottsdale, Ariz. The theme is "The ROI of Population Health: Implementation Matters" with a focus on best practices, outcomes and replicability of findings. CCA is calling for submissions that offer hands-on learning and usefulness for the Population Health Management industry. All abstracts must be submitted here by the March 6th deadline.

ACU Offers Conference on Health Information Technology

Association of the Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) will host "Health Information Technology for the Underserved" March 7-8 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The event aims to provide physicians and clinicians opportunities to learn from national health information technology (HIT) leaders about how to harness the potential of HIT to enhance care for the underserved. The agenda features workshops that will teach physicians how to assist young patients with learning how to self-manage their chronic illnesses through mobile tracking applications and how to engage patients in a comprehensive diabetes program designed for rural, underserved populations with diabetes. Click here to register for the event.

BEDA to Host Annual Conference

  

Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) will hold its 2013 National Conference March 8-10 in Bethesda, Md. The agenda features discussions on food addictions, weight loss surgery research and realities, the link between weight stigma and BED and ways to fight weight stigma. Click here to register for the event.

 

CEO Congressional Briefing to Discuss Economics of Obesity

 

Campaign to End Obesity (CEO) will host a Congressional briefing, "The Economics of the Obesity Epidemic," in 1302 Longworth House Office Building on March 21 at 2 pm. The briefing speakers will discuss the findings of a new economic study issued by CEO and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation called "Assessing the Economics of Obesity and Obesity Interventions." Click here for more information.

IHPM to Host Annual International Conference on Health, Wellness and Productivity

The Institute for Health and Productivity Management (IHPM) will host its 13th annual international conference, Riding the Global Wave of Wellness to Better Health & Performance, March 25-27 in Orlando, Fla. The conference will cover the global spread of health, wellness and productivity from the corporate, government and NGO domains, featuring speakers from China, the Middle East and Mexico. For the first time, the conference will also be shared online to include participants worldwide. Click here to register to attend onsite or online.

ADA Alert Day® Asking Public to Take Diabetes Risk Test

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) will be holding its 25th Annual Alert Day® March 26, a one-day event asking the American public to take the Diabetes Risk Test to find out if they are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The new Diabetes Risk Test asks users to answer simple questions about weight, age, family history and other potential risks for prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.  Preventative tips are provided for everyone who takes the test, including encouraging those at high risk to talk with their health care provider. Click here for more information. 

A poll conducted by NPR, RWJF and the Harvard School of Public Health focused on the daily activities in U.S. households during the hours between school and bedtime. The poll found that more than nine in 10 parents stated it is important that their child eats and exercises in a way to maintain a healthy weight, yet nearly half of polled parents say it's difficult to make sure their child eats healthy and for families to eat together on a daily basis. Parents reported that the lack of time and money was the major obstacle in achieving healthy living.

YMCAs nationwide are offering a new diabetes-prevention program that combines exercise, dieting and individual counseling, which many hope will show the potential for a community-based organization to deliver a nationwide health-care intervention. Insurers and employers are providing direct funding as the YMCA seeks to enroll participants in the program and induce them to reach weight-loss targets.

Doctors' beliefs about the causes of obesity can affect the advice they give to patients, a study published in Preventive Medicine suggests.  Study researchers found that 86 percent of doctors indicated overeating as a major cause of obesity and these doctors were more likely to advise patients to simply change their eating habits. Only a few of the doctors said they believed that genetics, family history or metabolic problems were important causes of obesity.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Internal Medicine found that U.S. baby boomers have higher rates of chronic disease, more disability and lower self-rated health than did their parents at a comparable age. Study researchers found that 39 percent of baby boomers were obese, as opposed to only 29 percent of their parents.

By Evelyn Theiss

The Cleveland Clinic has expanded its employee health care coverage of bariatric surgery to include type 2 diabetics who fall into a BMI category that is considered to be mildly obese. The program will now cover an individual as long as he or she has a BMI of 30 or higher, has diabetes that medication is not controlling and has been under the care of an endocrinologist for at least six months.