STOP Obesity Alliance - Strategies To Overcome And Prevent
October 2013 Issue
IN THIS ISSUE
Alliance & Member News
News Round-Up

  
 
I often find myself inspired by the notable words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."  

Nonprofit hospitals are uniquely positioned to forge a new path to help address our nation's obesity epidemic through their ongoing efforts to provide community benefit programs.  The Affordable Care Act requires the country's 2,900+ nonprofit hospitals to undertake regular Community Health Needs Assessments and to devise implementation strategies to address identified needs. With obesity affecting more than one-third of adults and 17 percent of children in the United States, many hospitals will likely prioritize obesity as one of the most pressing health needs in their community.  

In fact, a new report released today from the Alliance's research team at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) sheds light on the challenges and opportunities for nonprofit hospitals to address obesity through community benefit activities.  These nonprofit hospitals need guidance on how to implement obesity programs to meet these community needs.  The STOP Obesity Alliance research provides lessons and strategies hospitals can use as they consider implementing a community-based obesity initiative. 

  • Lack of Proven Community-Based Programs That Directly Address Obesity in Adults: Obesity is a pressing problem in the United States, but one where effective community-based programs are lacking.  While there are many ongoing efforts specific to childhood obesity, few programs are directed toward helping adults who struggle with overweight and obesity.  Hospitals have an opportunity to add to the existing evidence-base of effective obesity programs and advance the conversation on effective strategies for reducing obesity.
  • Need to Reduce Stigma: By offering strategic programs to address obesity, hospitals can help to reduce weight-based stigma and advocate for positive and supportive communication between health care providers, patients and community members.
  • Value of Effective Partnerships: Obesity is a complex condition that requires multi-level and multi-sectoral partnerships to unite and align efforts aimed at prevention and treatment.  As "conveners of change," hospitals can be the driving force for transformation within their communities. 
We are hopeful that, given the number of people affected by overweight and obesity, nonprofit hospitals will identify obesity as a significant health need in their Community Health Needs Assessments. Given the lack of existing initiatives that are geared toward addressing obesity, especially in adults, nonprofit hospitals have a significant opportunity to take the lead in developing community-based obesity programs to change how obesity is viewed and treated.

We're hoping that some of our nation's nonprofit hospitals will chose to be trailblazers and address obesity through their community benefit programs. I have no doubt that it could create a meaningful difference that leads toward real progress in reducing obesity and helping people to live healthier lives.

Do you have examples of community programs that work and that could help hospitals?  Please email us at [email protected].  We'd love to hear from you.
   
Best,
 Scott Kahan, MD, MPH
Alliance & Member News
Alliance & Member News
Several Alliance Steering Committee and Associate Members were featured in news stories this month including:

STOP Policy Advisor Releases Report on ACA's Impact on Obesity

 

STOP Policy Advisor Morgan Downey, JD., and Christopher Still, DO of Geisinger, co-authored a paper discussing the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on individuals with obesity. The paper provides a look at the changes in employer-based coverage and coverage for intensive behavioral counseling for obesity, among other changes in private insurance and Medicaid as well as prevention and research that impact individuals with obesity. To read the paper click here.  

 

AHA Releases Science Advisory for Health Care Providers

 

American Heart Association (AHA) issued a new policy statement encouraging health care professionals to treat patients' unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as smoking, poor diet and excess weight, as aggressively as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other cardiovascular disease risk factors. Click here to read more.  

 

AICR Hosts 2013 Research Conference on Cancer Prevention

 

American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) will host its annual research conference Nov. 7-8 in Bethesda, Md. The conference will explore current topics and research in food, nutrition, physical activity and cancer. Click here to register.

 

TOS and ASMBS to Host Obesity Week

 

The Obesity Society (TOS) and American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) will host Obesity Week 2013 Nov. 11-16 in Atlanta, Ga. TOS and ASMBS invite obesity health care professionals to come together to discuss the latest in obesity science, treatment and clinical information, and advances in improved public health, among other topics. Click here to register.

 

OAC Offers New Online Educational Program and PSA

 

Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) hosted a new web-based educational program, "OAC's Educational Webinar Series: Because Your Weight Matters - For Your Health," that provided an educational webinar on various obesity-related topics each week in October. Topics included deciphering popular weight-loss trends and practical tactics for good nutrition. In addition to the webinar series, OAC also released a Your Weight Matters - For Your Health national PSA that encourages individuals to have conversations about weight with their health care providers. Click here for more information about the webinar series and here to watch the PSA.

 


News Round-Up
News Round-Up

Don't Blame Obese Patients for Being Fat, Doctors Told 

October 16, 2013

The Telegraph

By Nick Collins

 

Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends more people be referred to "lifestyle weight management" programs like Weight Watchers, instead of placing blame on patients for being overweight or obese. According to the article, health care professionals must ensure that all interactions with patients are "respectful and non-blaming," in order to minimize harm and encourage healthier lifestyles.

 

October 10, 2013

TIME

By Alice Park

 

A perspective published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the increasing rate of obesity can be attributed in part to the lack of training in obesity medicine for medical professionals. The authors of the perspective argue that current medical education programs are not designed to address complex, multidisciplinary conditions like obesity, which represents a mix of everything from genetic contributors, metabolic conditions, psychological and behavioral issues.

 

Mom Outraged After Athletic Daughter, 11, Receives 'Fat Letter' 

October 8, 2013

ABC News

By Mary Pflum

 

An 11-year-old Florida girl received a letter with the results of a body mass index (BMI) screening administered by officials at her school that, according to the girl's mother, suggested that her daughter is fat. The young girl is on the school volleyball team, eats healthy foods and was "stunned," according to the article, by the letter. Similar screening programs with annual student weigh-ins are being implemented by schools in at least 19 states. Some doctors express that these letters are necessary to make parents aware and to help combat obesity, but others, including the National Eating Disorders Association, worry that these tests could potentially trigger eating disorders in some children.

 

October 7, 2013

Kaiser Health News

By Sandra G. Boodman

 

One percent of people battling multiple chronic illnesses consumed 21 percent of the nearly $1.3 trillion Americans spent on health care in 2010, at a cost of nearly $88,000 per person.  According to a report by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the patients making up the one percent typically suffer from heart failure, diabetes and kidney disease, along with a significant psychiatric problem.

 



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