Obesity Care Organizations Develop Consensus Statement on Obesity

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The STOP Obesity Alliance collaborated with five obesity advocacy organizations to develop a consensus statement on obesity as a complex, chronic disease. The goal of creating a consensus statement is to address roadblocks that organizations face when working to reduce weight stigma and bias and improve access to treatment for obesity. The organizations that developed the consensus statement are the STOP Obesity Alliance, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the Obesity Medicine Association, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the Obesity Society, and the Obesity Action Coalition. 

The consensus statement reads as follows: 

Obesity is a highly prevalent chronic disease characterized by excessive fat accumulation or distribution that presents a risk to health and requires life-long care. Virtually every system in the body is affected by obesity. Major chronic diseases associated with obesity include diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

The body mass index (weight in kilograms/height in meters 2) (BMI) is used to screen for obesity but it does not displace clinical judgment. BMI is not a measure of body fat. Social determinants, race, ethnicity and age may modify the risk associated with a given BMI.

Bias and stigmatization directed at people with obesity contributes to poor health and impairs treatment.

Every person with obesity should have access to evidence-based treatment.

Visit our website to read more about the consensus statement and view the press release here.

World Obesity Day: March 4, 2023

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World Obesity Day 2023 is March 4th!! This year, the WOD campaign is Changing Perspectives: Let’s Talk About Obesity. The goal of this advocacy campaign is to encourage talk and debate to change minds, create new norms, and improve health outcomes for people with obesity. To address the stigma that surrounds obesity and obesity treatment, tough conversations need to be had to make progress. World Obesity Day 2023 acknowledges that these conversations will not be easy, but are essential to push boundaries and upend the norms that have been undermining efforts to make progress in health and society. To jumpstart these crucial conversations, World Obesity Day has created conversation cards to highlight important parts of the conversation about obesity. To learn more, visit WorldObesityDay.org

Upcoming Workshop: Advancing a Food Systems Approach to Prioritize Healthy People and a Healthy Planet

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The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine is hosting a workshop on March 9th from 10a – 2p ET to discuss advancing food systems. It will discuss the importance of a Food Systems approach to what we eat, produce, and manufacture within the broader context of health, environmental, and socioeconomic considerations.

Dr. William H. Dietz, Chair of the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness and Director of the STOP Obesity Alliance will be speaking at the workshop.

Click here to learn more and register for the workshop.

NUTRITION 2023 Abstract Deadline is March 1

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Last Chance to Submit! NUTRITION 2023 Abstract Submission Deadline is March 1

The American Society for Nutrition’s (ASN’s), annual flagship meeting, NUTRITION, will return to Boston, MA, July 22-25, 2023. ASN welcomes the submission of unpublished research in the form of abstracts for presentation at NUTRITION 2023. The Abstract Submission Deadline is Wednesday, March 1, 2023,11:59 PM ET. Accepted abstracts will be presented in poster and oral sessions. 

Why you should submit your research to NUTRITION 2023: 

 
Abstracts can include: 

 
More information on how to submit your science at NUTRITION 2023 is available here.

Upcoming Workshop: Precision Counseling Workshop at Villanova

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Precision Counseling Workshop. March 9^th at the Inn at Villanova, Villanova, PA, from 9a – 2p, approved to award 4 total continuing education hours for dietitians and nurses. Eileen Myers, MPH, RDN, LDN, CEDRD-S, FADA, FAND will facilitate this continuing education event which is open, and content is applicable, to all healthcare professionals who engage in patient/client interactions. Eileen is a speaker, writer, and consultant with over 30 years expertise in nutrition, motivational interviewing, and effective behavior change strategies and has years of experience working collaboratively with MDs and Nurse Practitioners on Medical Affairs teams. Her understanding and use of concepts such as motivational interviewing and shared decision making, and most importantly her ability to convey and teach these concepts to multidisciplinary healthcare audiences, is what makes her a truly valuable speaker and teacher. The workshop is centered upon learning and practicing how to effectively communicate and engage in meaningful dialogue to improve the patient/client experience and improve adherence to treatment recommendations. Participants will also get the unique opportunity to create their own decision tool as a framework for patient/client-centered discussions for use in personal practice. We have a discounted faculty/Villanova alumni rate, and a student rate. Price includes breakfast, lunch, a nourishment station throughout the event. For more information, click here and also watch the personalized welcome message from Eileen.
 
 
Wednesday, March 15 | 1-2 PM ET
Healthy Aging: The Role of Diet and Other Lifestyle Factors on the Maintenance of Brain Health
Presented by Thomas M. Holland, MD, MS
Physician scientist, Rush University Medical Center, Institute for Healthy Aging
Assistant Professor, Rush Medical College, and Rush College of Health Sciences
 

Abstract Call for ObesityWeek®

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New CDC Funding for REACH Program - Deadline to Apply April 11

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The CDC has announced new funding for the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program. Funding is for a five-year period, pending the continued availability of funding. Recipients will plan and carry out local, culturally appropriate programs. Activities will be designed to improve health among racial and ethnic populations with the highest risk of chronic diseases. Applicants must propose activities to:

Applicants may opt to include a strategy related to flu, COVID-19, and other routinely recommended adult vaccines.

Applications are due April 11, 2023. Click here to apply. 

To learn more about the REACH program, click here. 

AMWA Roundtable on Women and the Obesity Epidemic

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The American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) published proceedings from a stakeholder roundtable on Women and the Obesity Epidemic: Overview and Opportunities for Action.

Click here to read. 

Register for the Obesity Medicine 2023 Conference - in New York!

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Register for the Obesity Medicine 2023 Conference – in New York!

Earn up to 30 CME/CE during the Obesity Medicine 2023 Conference in New York, April 19-23, to gain treatment techniques that will help prepare you to treat obesity at the root and to manage your patients’ obesity-related conditions. The spring conference includes the Spring Obesity Summit as well as the following pre-conference course options:

• Review Course for the ABOM Exam
• Fundamentals of Obesity Treatment

Register Today!

To learn more and to register, visit https://obesitymedicine.org/spring/.

Study Finds Many US Young Children Not Eating Enough Fruits and Vegetables

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A new study found that many children between 1 and 5 years old are not eating according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and are not eating enough fruits and vegetables everyday and are drinking too many sugary drinks. The CDC analyzed data from the 2021 National Survey on Children's Health, which included responses from parents of children ages 1 to 5. 

Key national findings include:

• 1 in 3 children did not eat fruit daily in the past week.
• 1 in 2 children did not eat vegetables daily in the past week.
• 3 in 5 children drank a sugary drink at least once in the past week. 

Key state-level findings include:

• In 20 states, more than half of children did not eat a vegetable daily in the past week.
• In 40 states and the District of Columbia, more than half of children drank a sugary drink at least once in the past week.

Groups that were less likely to eat enough fruits and vegetables and drank more sugary drinks include children ages 2-5, non-Hispanic Black children, and children living in households with limited food sufficiency.

To learn more, view the study here. 

WW's Latest Publications 

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Newest Weight Watcher's Publications

Puhl RM, Lessard LM, Foster GD, Cardel MI.
Patient and Family Perspectives on Terms for Obesity.
Pediatrics.
Key Findings: Youth reported preferences for words such as “healthy weight” and dislike of terms such as “obese,” “fat,” and “large,” which induced feelings of sadness, shame, and embarrassment. Patterns emerged by demographic characteristics: lower preference ratings for any weight-related terminology use among girls (versus boys) and sexual minority (versus heterosexual) youth, and stronger preferences for words such as “thick” or “curvy” among racial/ethnic minority, sexual minority, and higher-weight youth. Use of most weight terms was higher among fathers compared with mothers, and by Hispanic/Latinx parents compared with white and Black/African American parents.

Puhl RM, Lessard LM, Pudney EV, Foster GD, Cardel MI.
Motivations for engaging in or avoiding conversations about weight: Adolescent and parent perspectives.
Pediatric Obesity
Key Findings: Parents, irrespective of sex, race/ethnicity, and child's weight status, expressed stronger motivations for engaging in weight communication in order for their child to feel good about his/her weight and body size compared to being motivated because a health professional raised their child's weight as a concern. Adolescent motivations for weight communication with parents stemmed from health concerns and worry about their weight. Avoidance stemmed from feeling embarrassed, upset, or not wanting to obsess about weight.

Hayes JF, Wing RR, Phelan S, Alarcon N, Cardel MI, Foster GD.
Recovery from weight regain among long-term weight loss maintainers in WW.
Obesity (Silver Spring).
Key Findings: Participants from the WW Success Registry ( n = 2457) were grouped based on self-reported weight change after maximum loss: sustained maintenance ("Stable"), ups and downs ("Gain-Lose"), and regain ("Gain"). Mean weight loss was 28.5 kg and duration of ≥9 kg loss was 3.5 years. During this time, 48% reported weight stability, and the remaining reported some regain (Gain-Lose, 29% or Gain, 23%). Among Gain and Gain-Lose, action to lose regained weight occurred after gaining >4 kg. Compared with Gain, Gain-Lose sustained reengagement efforts longer (16 vs. 10 weeks) and had better dietary choices (3.4 vs. 3.2), self-monitoring (2.9 vs. 2.7), and psychological coping (2.5 vs. 2.4) scores. Among Gain-Lose, the most successful (< 2.3 kg vs. >2.3 kg regain) initiated weight loss efforts after less regain (2.3 vs. 4.5 kg).