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Nominations for 2007-2008 Council Positions Due July 31, 2007
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The Obesity Society Nominating
Committee is currently accepting nominations for candidates who are
interested in serving the Society on the Council.
The Council nominations process
requires that each nominee be an active Fellow of the Society and that
each nomination be signed by ten (10) regular active members.
- Vice President (one to be elected; one year term) Assumes
the role of President-Elect and President in subsequent years.
- Councilors at large (three to be elected; three-year
term)
Nominations to
the Council will be accepted through July 31, 2007. Society elections
will be conducted in September 2007.
Elected
Council members will assume their new positions at the Annual
Scientific Meeting in New
Orleans, October 20-24.
A nominations
form can be found
on the Society Website.
If you or your
colleagues are interested in these offices, please fax your nomination by July 31 to
the attention of Rhesia Pittman at 301-563-6595 (f).
If you have
any questions please e-mail them to:
Rhesia Pittman
rpittman@naaso.org
301-563-6526
The Nominating
Committee thanks the membership for their participation and attention
to this request. Nominating Committee members are: Immediate Past
President and Chair Thomas Wadden, David Allison, Susan Fried, Michael
Goran, Steven Heymsfield, Judith Stern, Angelo Tremblay, and Rhesia
Pittman (ex officio).
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Obesity Society Supports AMA Committee Statement
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The Obesity Society is a co-signer of a new report from an American
Medical Society (AMA) committee recommending that doctors and health
officials stop using fuzzy terms for children who are overweight or
obese. Too often, the AMA committee concluded, doctors are calling kids
who are considered too fat as "at risk of overweight" and
obese children (at least 20 percent greater than a healthy number of
pounds for the height and age) as merely "overweight."
The AMA Committee is suggesting
classifying any child with a BMI in the 95th percentile or above to be
"obese." This translates to a BMI score of 30 or more. The
committee didn't identify a specific BMI score to classify overweight
kids, yet recommended any child in the 84th to 95th percentile should
be considered overweight and be urged by pediatricians to drop some
body fat. While no one is suggesting that doctors become less sensitive
to kids or parents, there is a strong sentiment that fuzzy terms let
everyone off the hook. The conclusion: There needs to be some middle
and healthful ground between calling a child fat and not confronting
unhealthy body weight.
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National Consumer League Obesity Survey
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The National Consumer League (NCL)
commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct an online survey of adult
Americans on issues related to weight, obesity, and weight-loss
efforts.
According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 66 percent of U.S. adults
are overweight (33 percent) or obese (33 percent) but, according to the
NCL survey, only 12 percent of U.S. adults say they have ever been told
by a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional that they are
obese.
NCL's survey found a disconnect
between the way people perceive their weight, and their actual weight
category based on the body mass index (BMI). U.S. adults were much more
likely to refer to themselves as "overweight" rather than
"obese", and consistently identified themselves as being in
less severely overweight groups. In fact, 52 percent of respondents
referred to themselves as overweight, and only 12 percent as obese,
severely obese, or morbidly obese. But, based on actual BMI
calculations using self reported height and weight information, among
the 96 percent of respondents who reported height and weight, 35
percent are actually "overweight," whereas 34 percent are
actually obese, severely obese, or morbidly obese. Among respondents
who are obese according to BMI, 82 percent consider themselves to be
simply "overweight."
A minority of all respondents (20
percent) claimed to know their BMI number. Most respondents (78
percent) say that obesity is a serious, chronic disease and that it
requires medical treatment (54 percent). Particularly disturbing is the
fact that most U.S.
adults (61 percent) report that obesity is considered taboo in society
today, and half (50 percent) attribute the condition to a "lack of
will power." More than a third of U.S. adults (37 percent)
agree that obese people should pay more for health insurance, and more
than a quarter (27 percent) say that it is still acceptable to make fun
of obesity.
Although 79 percent of respondents say
weight-loss surgery can be a life-saving treatment, half (49 percent)
agree that there is a stigma associated with using surgery as a
weight-loss option. Moreover, forty- seven percent held a very negative
or somewhat negative view of weight-loss surgery.
About half (52 percent) of people say
that they have talked about losing weight with their doctor, although
respondents who are obese are more likely to have done so. Among those
who have discussed weight loss with their doctor, nearly three in five
(59 percent) report that their doctors recommended a diet change (47
percent) and/or exercise regimen (35 percent). However, only one third
discussed the health risks associated with their weight, and only 10
percent said their doctor helped them develop a plan to lose weight.
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President Bush: "Americans Need More Exercise"
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"I believe strongly in exercise," President Bush told CBS
News Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm in an interview. "I
exercise a lot because it's good for my mind and good for my soul. But
I hope to set a good example to others that exercise is good for
you."
"I also think that since we spend
a lot of money on food in the education system, then we should insist
on better food," the president said. "A lot of the dietary
problems are just obviously what people eat. And so it's not just a
lack of exercise, or obesity problem, it's not just a lack of exercise,
but a bad diet."
Mr. Bush himself goes on ambitious
bicycle rides for exercise. "For an old guy, I guess they're
'monstrous.' But I have wisely convinced a bunch of youngsters in the
White House and around Washington
to ride with me. I've always found that if you play up that you get
better. But I do love exercise."
The president turns 61 in July.
"I'm amazed at how young I feel," he said, "When I look
back, I think, "Wow, 60 is old! I remember thinking, 'Golly, if I
ever get to be 60, I'm ancient.' And I feel great, and I think most 60-
year-olds feel really good, particularly those who have taken care of
their body and are careful about what they put in their body."
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Presidential Candidates Comment about Obesity
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As the race for Democratic and Republican Presidential nominations
begins to heat up, candidates from both parties are addressing issues
related to obesity. Here is a sampling of comments. We will continue to
keep you informed about candidate's policies on obesity issues as they
appear on the radar screen.
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) said
"We spend 16 percent of our gross domestic product -$2 trillion-on
healthcare, and by 2016, health costs are scheduled to exceed $4
trillion, or almost 20 percent of the gross domestic product." Clinton attributed 30 percent of the rise in U.S.
healthcare spending to the doubling of obesity among adults over the
past 20 years, increasing the prevalence of preventable diseases such
as diabetes, asthma, and heart disease. "If obesity remained at
1990 levels, we would be spending 10 percent less on health care
today--a savings of $220 billion," Clinton said.
Mike Huckabee (R-AK), who has lost 110
pounds in a little over a year said "The issue of obesity and the
health issues it causes is really not a partisan issue. President
Clinton asked me to join him in an effort with the Heart Association to
combat childhood obesity because it is a serious issue that is not only
going to have a dramatic health impact on kids, but more importantly,
this is going to bankrupt America economically if we don't begin to
make some serious cultural changes."
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Panel Urges FDA Not to Approve Rimonabant
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The weight-loss drug rimonabant should not be approved by the FDA
because of continuing concerns about increased risks for suicidal
thoughts among some users, an advisory panel concluded June 13.
The unanimous 14-0 vote followed
another unanimous vote by the panel that drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis had
failed to prove the safety of its drug. "There is a reasonable
suspicion we better learn some more and watch this affair more closely
before we launch into massive use of this drug," said panelist and
Obesity Society Member Emeritus Jules Hirsch, MD.
While the FDA isn't bound to follow
the recommendations of its advisory panels, it typically does.
This side effect has delayed FDA
approval and is "obviously a big concern for us", stated Dr.
Eric Colman, deputy director of FDA's Metabolic and Endocrine Drug
Division. The manufacturer, in its testimony agreed. "Who is the
right patient to receive rimonabant? Not everybody,"
Sanofi-Aventis's Richard Gural told the panel. "The drug is not
appropriate for anyone with a history of depression or suicidal
thoughts, or is taking antidepressant medication," he added.
Sanofi-Aventis officials suggested
that patients be screened for depression before they are prescribed the
drug. They also recommended that patients visit their doctors for an
assessment five times during the first year of treatment to curtail any
potential problems.
According to a statement issued by the
company, Sanofi-Aventis will continue to work closely with the FDA to
address the committee's recommendations.
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Congressional Budget Office Director Testifies About Obesity
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On June 21st, in testimony before the Senate Budget Committee,
Congressional Budget Office Director, Peter Orszag, testified that a
key contributor to rising U.S. health care costs is
the increasing rate of obesity in the nation.
According to a study Orszag cited,
obese Americans incurred 37 percent higher medical costs than Americans
of "normal" weight - for a difference of about $1,000 per
person per year. The increased occurrence of obesity between 1987 and
2001, he said, accounted for 12 percent of the overall growth in real
medical spending per capita in that period. For Medicare, the share of
spending attributable to obese enrollees increased from about 9 percent
in 1987 to about 25 percent in 2002, a substantially larger increase
than was seen in the obesity rate for the U.S. Medicare population as a
whole.
Despite a lack of comprehensive
cost-effectiveness data on the value of preventive treatments, Orszag
expressed concern over the lack of preventive measures to avert the
onset of chronic diseases, particularly obesity. He emphasized the
value of behavioral change, and specifically noted the importance of improved
diet and exercise regimes.
Orszag identified three basic policy
options for addressing prevention and healthy living to lower obesity.
The first would focus on the dissemination of information regarding the
affects of unhealthy behavior or the factors contributing to unhealthy
behavior. Another approach would provide financial incentives to
promote healthy lifestyles through taxes, subsidies, or various other
forms. The third approach would include regulatory steps, which he said
might include regulating the content of school meals.
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Obesity Budget Figure Correction
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We made an error in The February Newsletter and we thank Obesity
Society member Susan Yanovski, MD for bringing it to our attention. We
said (in discussing the President's budget) "The fine print of the
budget told a more sobering story. Obesity research at NIH would
actually go down from a high of $594 billion
in FY06 to a projected $590 in FY08." The correct number is $594 million.
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Future Obesity Society Meetings--Dates and Locations
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Start making your plans to attend
future Obesity Society Annual Scientific Meetings:
- 2008 in Phoenix,
Arizona; October 3-7
- 2009 in Washington
DC; October 24-28
- 2010 in San
Diego, California;
October 9-13
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Have You Registered for the 2007 Annual Scientific Meeting?
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Don't forget to register
for the 2007 meeting.
To see the Annual Meeting Advance Program click
here. This year's meeting promises up-to-the minute research
results on topics such as pediatric obesity, obesity in the elderly,
the latest pharmacological agents, bariatric surgery, maintenance of
weight loss, and much more.
Travel Grants
As part ot its commitment to young investigators in the field of
obesity research, The Obesity Society will award 20 travel grants of
$500 each to attend the annual meeting of the society in New Orleans,
October 20-24, 2007. Potential winners will be selected from the
ranking of the submitted abstracts and will need only to return a form
signed by their institution acknowledging that the winner is either a
graduate student or has received a PhD or MD less than 5 years ago.
Letters to the potential winners will be sent out later this summer. Visit the 2007 Annual Scientific
Website.
Approximately 800 abstracts will be
presented at the meeting.
Thank you to all who plan to share their work.
2007 Annual Scientific Meeting of The Obesity Society
October 20-24, 2007
New Orleans, Louisiana
Visit
the 2007 Annual Scientific Meeting Web Site
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Keep in Mind
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From now on when
you click on
www.obesity.org, the first cite mentioned is The Obesity Society.
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News of New Orleans
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For information on registering for the
Annual Scientific Meeting click
here
To see the Advance Program, click
here
Interested in...
Exhibiting?
Sponsorship
opportunities?
The Obesity
Society's
2007 Annual Scientific Meeting
October 20-24
Ernest N.
Morial
Convention Center
New Orleans, LA
Visit the Meeting
Home Page for details as they become available.
Laissez les bon temps rouler!
(Let the good times roll!)
Questions and
comments about The Obesity Society's Web site or newsletter? Please contact Nancy Olins or Karen Teff, PhD
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