With weight bias prominent, National Obesity Care Week challenges healthcare providers to take action

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Obesity, a serious disease associated with more than 20 related conditions, including diabetes and cancer, is often overlooked in the healthcare field.  Recent research shows that patients with excess weight have a 70 percent chance of encountering weight bias from a healthcare professional (HCP).ⁱ Additionally, most healthcare professionals have not been trained to have discussions on weight and health.ⁱⁱ Working to bridge this gap, partners of National Obesity Care Week (NOCW), the only public awareness week dedicated to the disease of obesity, have designed a new initiative that enables HCPs to better understand why and how to engage with patients to discuss their weight.

The new "Take 5" Challenge from NOCW encourages HCPs to take five minutes to learn more about obesity. "Take 5" provides resources to address obesity including key reasons to discuss weight; starter questions to engage in productive patient conversations; and ICD-10 codes and referral options for obesity specialists. Developed by obesity experts, the challenge is created to inspire HCPs to engage in conversations that could be consequential to a patient's weight management journey by equipping them to discuss the potential reasons for weight gain and loss and overall impact on health. Additionally, the challenge encourages HCPs to share "Take 5" with their colleagues to expand the conversation in healthcare settings across America.

"For too long, excess weight has been the source of stigma and bias, which has, at times, prevented patients from receiving the care that the disease of obesity often requires. National Obesity Care Week shines a spotlight on the opportunities that healthcare professionals have to help patients achieve their overall weight management goals," said Francesca Dea, CAE, Executive Director of The Obesity Society and Executive Chair of NOCW. "The 'Take 5' Challenge can help healthcare professionals better understand how to address obesity and work toward more comprehensive treatment."

Now in its second year, NOCW was created to ignite a national movement to ensure those affected by the disease of obesity receive compassionate, patient-centric, and comprehensive care. More than 35 healthcare-related partners support the week, which will take place Sunday, October 30 through Saturday, November 5.

"The new 'Take 5' initiative provides key learnings for all healthcare professionals to learn more about obesity from the top experts who are engaged in this field every day," said Blandine Lacroix, Vice President of Obesity Marketing, Novo Nordisk Inc. "Working together and sharing this knowledge can have a long-lasting impact on how we address the disease of obesity."

National Obesity Care Week will coincide with ObesityWeek^SM 2016, the premier, international conference focused on the science and treatment of obesity. Supporters of the campaign include founding partners The Obesity Society, Obesity Action Coalition, Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance, and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and supporting partners, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; American Academy of Physician Assistants; American Association of Nurse Practitioners; American College of Physicians; American College of Preventive Medicine; American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; American Institute for Cancer Research; American Medical Group Association; American Medical Women's Association; American Osteopathic Association; American Society for Nutrition; American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition; Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum; Asian Pacific Community in Action; BariatricPal; California Podiatric Medical Association; Council for Diabetes Prevention; the Endocrine Society; FitFluential; Healthcare Leadership Council; Livliga; Lupus Foundation of America; Medicaid Health Plans for America Center Best Practices & Institute for Medicaid Innovation; National Association of Chronic Disease Directors; Obesity Medicine Association; Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University; Society of Behavioral Medicine; The Palate; UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity; and World Obesity Day. NOCW is sponsored by Novo Nordisk, Inc.

Visit www.obesitycareweek.org to learn more about NOCW and the Take 5 Challenge.

About Obesity
Obesity was designated as a disease by the American Medical Association in 2013.ⁱⁱⁱ Classified as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater, obesity is associated with having an excess of body fat, defined by genetic and environmental factors that are difficult to control when dieting.^iv,v,vi In the United States, 36.5 percent of adults are affected by obesity, yet only half have been advised by a physician about maintaining a healthy weight.^i,vii People affected by obesity are more likely to suffer from additional medical conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea and certain types of cancer.^viii,ix Obesity-related healthcare costs were estimated at $316 billion in 2010.^x

About National Obesity Care Week
National Obesity Care Week (NOCW) is a public education initiative led by a coalition of like-minded partners in the public and private sectors who seek to encourage comprehensive obesity care and treatment. Launched in 2015, NOCW is founded by The Obesity Society, the Obesity Action Coalition, Strategies to Overcome and Prevent Obesity Alliance and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. NOCW is sponsored by Novo Nordisk, Inc. Visit www.obesitycareweek.org to learn more about improving obesity disease management. Join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Contact:
Gina Mangiaracina
[email protected] 
202.857.2216 

References

ⁱ Puhl, Rebecca M. and Kelly D. Brownell. "Confronting And Coping With Weight Stigma: An Investigation Of Overweight And Obese Adults*". Obesity 14.10 (2006): 1802-1815. Web.
ⁱⁱ Petrin, Christine et al. "Current Practices Of Obesity Pharmacotherapy, Bariatric Surgery Referral And Coding For Counselling By Healthcare Professionals". Obesity Science & Practice (2016): n. pag. Web.
ⁱⁱⁱ American Medical Association. Business of the American Medical Association House of Delegates 2013 Annual Meeting annotated reference committee reports: reference committee D. Available at:  http://www.ama-assn.org/assets/meeting/2013a/a13-addendum-refcomm-d.pdf. Approved June 8, 2014. Accessed October 14, 2015.
^iv Obesityaction.org. What is Obesity? Obesity Action Coalition: 2015. Available at: http://www.obesityaction.org/understanding-obesity/obesity. Accessed October 1, 2015.
^v Wright SM, Aronne LJ. Causes of obesity. Abdom Imaging. 2012;37(5):730-732.
^vi Williams G, Frühbeck G, eds. Obesity: science to practice. West Sussex, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd; 2009.
^vii US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Prevalence of overweight, obesity, and extreme obesity among adults: United States, trends 1960-1962 through 2007-2008. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/obesity_adult_07_08/obesity_adult_07_08.pdf. Published June 2010. Accessed October 14, 2015.
^viii Must A, Spadano J, Coakley EH, Field AE, Colditz G, Dietz WH. The disease burden associated with overweight and obesity. JAMA. 1999;282(16):1523-1529.
^ix Gami AS, Caples SM, Somers VK. Obesity and obstructive sleep apnea. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2003;32(4):869-894.
^x Ogden C, Carroll M, Kit B, Flegal K. Prevalence of Childhood and Adult Obesity in the United States, 2011-2012. JAMA. 2014;311(8):806. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.732.

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SOURCE The Obesity Society

Related Links

http://www.obesitycareweek.org