The primary purpose of fitness and body composition standards in the U.S. Armed Forces has always been to select individuals best suited to the physical demands of military service, based on the assumption that proper body weight and composition supports good health, physical fitness, and appropriate military appearance. The current epidemic of overweight and obesity in the United States affects the military services. The pool of available recruits is reduced because of failure to meet body composition standards for entry into the services and a high percentage of individuals exceeding military weight-for-height standards at the time of entry into the service leave the military before completing their term of enlistment. To aid in developing strategies for prevention and remediation of overweight in military personnel, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command requested the Committee on Military Nutrition Research to review the scientific evidence for: factors that influence body weight, optimal components of a weight loss and weight maintenance program, and the role of gender, age, and ethnicity in weight management.
Nearly one out of every three adults in America is obese and tens of millions of people in the United States are dieting at any one time. This has resulted in a weight-loss industry worth billions of dollars a year and growing. What are the long-term results of weight-loss programs? How can people sort through the many programs available and select one that is right for them? Weighing the Options strives to answer these questions. Despite widespread public concern about weight, few studies have examined the long-term results of weight-loss programs. One reason that evaluating obesity management is difficult is that no other treatment depends so much on an individual's own initiative and state of mind. Now, a distinguished group of experts assembled by the Institute of Medicine addresses this compelling issue. Weighing the Options presents criteria for evaluating treatment programs for obesity and explores what these criteria mean--to health care providers, program designers, researchers, and even overweight people seeking help. In presenting its criteria the authors offer a wealth of information about weight loss: how obesity is on the rise, what types of weight-loss programs are available, how to define obesity, how well we maintain weight loss, and what approaches and practices appear to be most successful. Information about weight-loss programs--their clients, staff qualifications, services, and success rates--necessary to make wise program choices is discussed in detail. The book examines how client demographics and characteristics--including health status, knowledge of weight-loss issues, and attitude toward weight and body image--affect which programs clients choose, how successful they are likely to be with their choices, and what this means for outcome measurement. Short- and long-term safety consequences of weight loss are discussed as well as clinical assessment of individual patients. The authors document the health risks of being overweight, summarizing data indicating that even a small weight loss reduces the risk of disease and depression and increases self-esteem. At the same time, weight loss has been associated with some poor outcomes, and the book discusses the implications for program evaluation. Prevention can be even more important than treatment. In Weighing the Options, programs for population groups, efforts targeted to specific groups at high risk for obesity, and prevention of further weight gain in obese individuals get special attention. This book provides detailed guidance on how the weight-loss industry can improve its programs to help people be more successful at long-term weight loss. And it provides consumers with tips on selecting a program that will improve their chances of permanently losing excess weight.
Five decades ago, the major nutrition-related issues facing the United States were nutrient deficiencies, under consumption of calories, and malnutrition. In 2016, however, the food landscape is drastically different, and today, the United States faces nutrition-related issues more closely associated with over consumption of calories, bigger waistlines, and chronic disease. Overweight and obesity now afflict the majority of U.S. adults and a large percentage of U.S. children. In addition, diet-related chronic diseases that used to be exclusively observed among adults (e.g., cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypertension) are now being detected in children and adolescents. To lower the risk and/or assist with the management of chronic illnesses, overweight and obese patients are frequently advised to lose weight. Although there are many proposed "quick fixes" for weight loss, long-term weight management is a struggle for most patients. As such, nutrition and healthcare clinicians need to understand the etiology of weight gain and the science-based steps necessary for proper and adequate weight management interventions. This textbook comprehensively examines the treatment of overweight and obesity using an individualized approach. Interventions including diet and behavioral modification, pharmacotherapy, surgery, and physical activity are discussed in the context of an overall lifestyle approach to weight management. Characteristics of successful weight management programs are explored, and example menu plans are provided.
The Roundtable on Obesity Solutions of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop in Washington, DC, on April 6, 2017, titled The Challenge of Treating Obesity and Overweight: A Workshop. The discussions covered treatments for obesity, overweight, and severe obesity in adults and children; emerging treatment opportunities; the development of a workforce for obesity treatments; payment and policy considerations; and promising paths to move forward. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
These guidelines make recommendations regarding the management of individuals with a body mass index greater than 25.0 kg/m2 and cover all age groups, from children to the elderly, as well as various patient subsets. A range of measures to yield health benefits are set out, including healthy eating plans, increased physical activity, and behavioral modifications to help patients to manage obesity. In addition, recommendations are made on the use of bariatric surgery and the new antiobesity drugs. Throughout the process of developing the recommendations, every attempt was made to ensure use of a rigorous, evidence-based approach. The guidelines are promoted by the Italian Society of Obesity (SIO) and were formulated in compliance with a prespecified process overseen by a steering committee. They are intended for use by a wide range of clinicians, including general practitioners, primary health care nurses, and primary health care professionals, and will hopefully prove of value in combating the obesity epidemic not only in Italy but across Europe and elsewhere in the world.
Written by and for primary care professionals, this unique title presents step-by-step, evidence-based information for the assessment and treatment of patients who present with overweight or obesity. Highly practical and easy to use, Primary Care: Obesity helps you develop and hone the specific knowledge, skills, and clinical practices necessary to provide effective care to this highly prevalent and at-risk patient population. This comprehensive guide is an essential resource for today’s internal medicine and family medicine physicians, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other healthcare professionals who practice outpatient primary care.
A practical, concise and readable guide to managing obesity in aclinical setting. A synthesis of reliable evidence and a combined 30+ years ofexperience managing patients coping with excess weight, BEST WEIGHT is theideal resource for physicians, dietitians and other health professionals lookingfor insights and actionable information for helping patients shed pounds safely, sensibly and sustainably.
