The disease of obesity is hurting us physically and economically. As a nation, we should be collectively alarmed and working together to help reverse this dangerous trend. A few facts that you should know:
- One in five U.S. deaths is associated with obesity (American Journal of Public Health).
- New York state has the eighth lowest rate of obesity in the nation, and yet 25 percent of our population is obese. (State of Obesity Report)
- eight obesity-related diseases account for $1.5 trillion, 75 percent of the U.S. health-care budget (Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease)
- Obesity affects every organ and contributes to more than 236 conditions. (Yuen M et al. poster, Obesity Week 2016).
- Most of the world’s population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight. (World Health Organization)
- Obesity is preventable.
I addressed the impact of obesity in a recent article. In it, I shared: As our nation struggles to address the rising cost of health care, treating obesity is both an economic and moral imperative. Accountable care models and the shift toward value-based payments are placing new pressures on clinicians across the board to show “results.”
You can read the full article here. Obesity is serious but we can prevent and treat it together. Are you ready to be part of the solution?