health

Prevention campaign offers doctors tools to fight obesity

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted May 20, 2013

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

The Obesity Society is helping physicians diagnose and manage weight issues with its new Treat Obesity Seriously campaign, which it launched May 9.

As part of the effort, doctors can request free tools that help assess body mass index and educate patients about the serious health implications of being overweight and obese. The educational materials can be ordered on the campaign’s website (link).

Those materials include a BMI prescription pad on which physicians can record and share information with patients about BMI and waist circumference. Each slip of paper explains what BMI is, how to calculate it and why it’s important.

Doctors also can request a bilingual paper BMI wheel calculator that allows for quick determination by matching height and weight, and an informational poster about obesity that can be placed in the office. Another goal of the campaign is to persuade policymakers to improve the public’s access to obesity-related medical care and treatment. Such treatment could include weight-loss counseling and new prescription drugs for chronic weight management.

This campaign comes at a time when the nation’s obesity epidemic has ballooned to epic proportions, with more than a third of adults and 17% of children ages 2 to 19 considered obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn