After months of searching for just the right person for the job, I'm excited to announce a new addition to the STOP Obesity Alliance leadership. Renowned obesity expert, William H. Dietz, MD, PhD, has agreed to join the leadership team and take the helm as the new STOP Obesity Alliance Director. I'm confident that having Dr. Dietz on board will strengthen our work in identifying gaps in obesity issues and creating solutions to overcome them. I will resume my role as STOP's Clinical Advisor and look forward to continuing our work.

Many of you likely are familiar with Dr. Dietz's work as the former director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. Recently, he joined the Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University, where he heads the new Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness. I sat down with Dr. Dietz earlier this month and asked for his thoughts on the state of current efforts to address obesity, what he sees on the horizon, and where he sees STOP's role.

Q: You've already accomplished so much when it comes to understanding and improving the obesity landscape. What brings you to DC and the GW team?

A: There is still much that needs to be done to address obesity, and I remain passionate about being a part of the amazing group of people from all sectors that are working on this problem. I feel that I accomplished what I set out to do at the CDC and am looking forward to using my new position as a launch pad to achieve other goals. DC is a great community and can be a great "learning lab" and example for other cities and communities around the country. Moving to GW will help accelerate my work and allow me to focus more on the ways that policy can help to create the changes we need to make a lasting impact.

Q: What do you feel is the biggest challenge surrounding obesity?

Q: What would you like to see STOP accomplish as part of the work to address obesity?

Weigh In guide, created recommendations that outline ways to develop more effective policies, and highlighted important aspects of the ways that primary care physicians and employers think about and approach obesity. I look forward to broadening the work that STOP does and having the opportunity to continue to work closely with the GW staff and the ever-growing Alliance membership.  

Sincerely,

 

June 18, 2014

MiamiHerald.com via The Associated Press

Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson is urging Congress to pass year-old legislation requiring Medicare to cover obesity medicines for seniors. Thompson noted that while fitness and diet are important, some people with overweight or obesity also need medications because of genetics and metabolism and that if Medicare covers obesity treatments, long-term costs associated with chronic diseases will drop.

What Causes Weight Gain

June 10, 2014

The New York Times

By Mark Bittman

Hyperprocessed food is causing weight gain, according to the article. The author says that we don't know everything about the dietary links to chronic disease, but the most qualified people argue that real food is more likely to promote health and less likely to cause disease than hyperprocessed food. He argues that we should make it a national priority to create two new programs - a research program to determine precisely what causes diet-related chronic illnesses and a program that will get this single, simple message across: Eat Real Food.

"Fitnessgrams" Obesity Report Cards Hit Schools, and the Fat Shaming Continues

June 7, 2014

Bustle

By Marie Southard Ospina

The article states that with the inception of Fitnessgrams, otherwise known as obesity report cards, the fear that teachers and administrators will now be significantly adding to childhood woes and to the probabilities of childhood depression and perhaps even eating disorders, inevitably came along with it. According to the article, the Academy for Eating Disorders opposes obesity report cards.

For Obese Diabetics, Weight-Loss Surgery May Work Best

June 4, 2014

U.S. News and World Report via HealthDay

A study published in JAMA Surgery found that gastric bypass surgery, compared to diet and lifestyle changes, is the best option to help people with obesity and type 2 diabetes lose weight. Researchers found that one year after the surgery, 50 percent of the gastric bypass patients saw their type 2 diabetes partially ease and 17 percent saw it completely disappear.

No Nation Has Lowered Obesity Rate in 33 Years

June 2, 2014

The New York Times

By Donald G. McNeil Jr.

Nearly 30 percent of the world's population has overweight or obesity, and not one country has reduced its obesity rate in 33 years, according to a new study combining three decades of data from 188 countries, published in The Lancet. Countries with the highest rate of obesity included Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati in the South Pacific and Kuwait, Libya and Qatar in the Middle East.