provider and consumer organizations, girded by two former U.S. Surgeons
General, on Wednesday urged policymakers to address the nation's obesity
epidemic as part of federal health care reform legislation.
"At this critical juncture where we're dealing with health-care
transformation, we want to make sure that the federal government and our
elected leaders recognize the importance of including approaches to
obesity that are evidence-based and proven within their legislative
strategy," former Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona told reporters
during a media briefing.
Carmona serves as the health and wellness chairperson of the Strategies
to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance, whose steering committee
includes the American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association and
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of
Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, among other public and private
organizations.
The alliance is funded by drug makers Sanofi-Aventis U.S. L.L.C. and
Amylin Pharmaceuticals.
Former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, whose 2001 report on obesity
recognized the problem as an "epidemic," emphasized the need to invest in
health promotion and disease prevention, particularly for the health of
the nation's youth.
"We are in essence addicting our children to sedentary lifestyles;
we're addicting them to high-salt, high-sweet, high-fat diets," he said,
"and then we pay for it later on when they come to us with cancer, heart
disease, [and] diabetes."
America's weight problem is pervasive. Two-thirds of the population is
now overweight and obese, according to the CDC, and as many as 72 million
adults are considered obese. In fact, obesity rates have doubled for
adults and tripled for children since 1980.
People often see obesity as a personal failure, explained Christine C.
Ferguson, director of the alliance and a research professor at George
Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, in
Washington, D.C. "The result is the problem has gotten worse and worse,
and more and more expensive."
Obesity accounts for 9.1 percent of annual health-care spending in the
United States, or nearly $150 billion annually, according to a study in a
recent issue of Health Affairs.
To help arrest the epidemic, the alliance urges policymakers to include
four specific elements in health reform:
Recognize proven clinical interventions. Studies demonstrate, for
example, that shedding just 5 percent to 10 percent of body weight can
lower the risk of heart disease and other chronic conditions.
Enhance the use of preventive services. The U.S. Preventive Services
Task Force recommends obesity screening for all adults, yet studies show
height and weight data often is not recorded during an office visit.
Foster community programs and polices that encourage and support
healthy lifestyles. A community might design public spaces that
accommodate walkers and bikers, for example, or sponsor a farmer's market
to make fresh produce available to local residents.
Coordinate research efforts to improve the quality of care, show
which interventions work in various settings and translate science into
practice.
Morgan Downey, the alliance's policy adviser, noted one positive aspect
of health reform proposals from the House of Representatives and Senate
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee: They eliminate the worry
that overweight Americans might not be able to obtain health insurance
coverage because of preexisting health conditions.
"Just the removal of that language really frees up individuals who are
overweight or obese to have access to health insurance," he said.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on overweight and
obesity in the United States.
No comments:
Post a Comment