Archive for August, 2013

The Political Science of Diabetes and Obesity

August 23, 2013 — The political science of diabetes and obesity is a tragic result of attention to the health consequences of increasing obesity rates. Though weight bias and discrimination existed long before our present problem, it has flourished as many health policymakers are guided more by bias than evidence. An opposite and equally toxic approach can be found […]

Thinking Twice About Causality

August 22, 2013 — Two completely unrelated headlines provide a reminder to think twice about causality. The Washington Post proclaimed “The More Sex You Have, the More Money You Make.” And then Nikhil Dhurandhar, Vice-President of the Obesity Society, sparked a story on Good Morning America about 84 different potential causes of obesity. Wishful thinking has a lot to […]

Racial Disparities in Bariatric Surgery

August 21, 2013 — A number of recent studies describe substantial racial disparities in accessing surgical treatment for obesity. Significant racial disparities in the health burden of obesity have been known for some time. So understanding disparate access to treatment is essential to understanding the larger picture. The American Journal of Gastroenterology just published a study of inpatient bariatric surgery […]

Lost in Obesity Statistics and Quibbles

August 20, 2013 — Obesity statistics are back in the news and it reminds us of a comment at the first Obesity Society Advocacy Forum in 2009. After a Q&A session that got mired in quibbles about what we do and don’t know about obesity, Executive Director Jeff Levi of the Trust for America’s Health remarked, “good luck getting […]

Activists, Patients, and Providers Confront an Epidemic

August 19, 2013 — Think about a disease epidemic that people didn’t understand at first. We didn’t have good evidence-based treatment options, so a lot of energy went into blaming the patients. Way too many healthcare providers ignored the problem or shunned the patients. And health policy was based more on bias than evidence. It took activists, patients, and […]

Obesity Action Coalition: Understanding Food Addiction

August 18, 2013 — Nicole Avena of Columbia University opened the second day of OAC’s YWM2013 Convention yesterday with a compelling, clear presentation on the science of food addiction. Systematically, Avena walked a group of nearly 400 activists, patients, and professionals through an explanation of what we know and don’t know about addictive behaviors related to food, as well […]

OAC Rising to the Challenge of Weight Bias

August 17, 2013 — The second annual Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) national convention opened in a packed ballroom Friday, with OAC Chair Pam Davis and Convention Chair Amber Huett welcoming nearly 400 people affected by obesity. The opening session brought together a remarkably diverse audience of activists, patients, and professionals rising to the challenge of obesity. CEO Joe Nadglowski […]

Obesity Action Coalition: A Tipping Point for Advocacy

August 16, 2013 — The Obesity Action Coalition has forged an impressive record since 2005 when Joe Nadglowski, Kristy Kuna, and James Zervios committed their careers to building the first and only nationwide membership organization to elevate and empower people affected by obesity. Yesterday, on the eve of OAC’s second annual convention in Phoenix, almost sixty people arrived early […]

Building Scalable Obesity Treatment

August 15, 2013 — Finding scalable obesity treatment approaches has long been a worry for health policymakers. With obesity, we have a complex chronic disease that affects up to a third of the population. The scale of the effort required to reverse it is daunting. Maybe that’s why it’s been easier to deny that it’s a disease and just […]

Cookie Monster Sings the Praises of Restraint

August 14, 2013 — In his latest music video, Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster gives kids an entertaining lesson in good eating habits. “Me Want It (But Me Wait)” is an energetic and fun take-off of Icona Pop’s techno-pop hit, “I Love It.” Cookie Monster has long been known as a lover of sweet treats. He wolfed down his beloved dessert […]