SAN DIEGO, April 28, 2023 – The American College of Physicians (바카라 사리트) announced today a new initiative aimed at advancing equitable access to obesity care. 바카라 사리트 plans to utilize physician education, advocacy, and partnerships to advance a stigma-free culture in which patients and clinicians collaborate to prevent and manage this increasingly common chronic condition, to ensure equitable access to care for patients and to help counter public misinformation about the causes of obesity, the stigma around it and the equity issues around how it’s treated. The announcement was made at a press conference held at the San Diego Convention Center during 바카라 사리트’s Internal Medicine Meeting 2023.
Participants in the press briefing included: 바카라 사리트 President, Ryan D. Mire, M.D., M바카라 사리트, a practicing internal medicine physician in Nashville, TN; Christina Wee, M.D., MPH, 바카라 사리트 Vice President and Senior Deputy Editor, Annals of Internal Medicine; and Davoren Chick, M.D., F바카라 사리트, 바카라 사리트 Chief Learning Officer and Senior Vice President, Medical Education.
바카라 사리트’s new initiative will expand upon and complement existing organizational efforts and resources on obesity management. Internal medicine physicians regularly encounter challenges related to obesity in patient care, and 바카라 사리트 recognizes that obesity and health equity are not simple issues with easy, clear solutions. Plans for the new initiative include developing new clinical guidelines and recommendations on obesity, and expanded physician education resources to help diffuse and dispel levels of misinformation and forms of bias which have centered around the topic.
Health equity is a central tenant of 바카라 사리트’s policy and advocacy efforts. 바카라 사리트 advocates for improving high-value and comprehensive health care for all members of society in ways that move us closer to health equity. This includes addressing disparities in health and health care and social determinants of health to improve patient care and promote health equity. Inadequate access to nutritious food negatively impacts the health of many Americans, which in turn can significantly exacerbate food and nutritional insecurity and other social factors impacting health. 바카라 사리트 advocates to address food and nutrition insecurity so that all persons have access to nutritious and healthful foods, to strengthen the federal food-insecurity response and empower physicians and other medical professionals to better address those social drivers of health occurring beyond the office doors.
바카라 사리트 also plans to partner with like-minded organizations across specialties and subspecialties to amplify efforts and messages. Later this year 바카라 사리트 will convene a summit with the Council of Subspeciality Societies to address many aspects of obesity and health equity prioritized in this initiative.
바카라 사리트’s obesity care initiative comes at an important time, as the prevalence of obesity continues to increase, now impacting more than 42 percent of the U.S. population. Obesity is associated with the leading causes of death, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancers. The mixed messaging around obesity and weight management causes, treatment, management, and stigmas, give need for more coordination and access to resources for physicians and their patients. Predictors of obesity are often influenced by healthcare access and other socioeconomic factors. Secular contributors to obesity disproportionately affect disadvantaged groups which results in a disproportionate rise in prevalence. The exclusive focus on individual behavioral change in treatment paradigms disadvantages the disadvantaged. Effective behavioral intervention/change requires discretionary time and financial resources.
“This initiative is ambitious, but health equity provides an intentional lens to align our efforts to increase access to care and treatments, reduce stigma and bias for patients, and address health disparities in marginalized populations,” said Ryan Mire, M.D., M바카라 사리트, president of 바카라 사리트. “With focused efforts, we are confident we can ensure equitable access for patients and help counter public misinformation about the causes of obesity, the stigma around it and the equity issues around how it’s treated.”
Dr. Wee discussed contributing factors to America’s obesity problem, issues associated with current screening and measures for obesity, and stigma in the exam room. Dr. Wee also announced that Annals of Internal Journal has curated a and resources published in the journal to help clinicians keep up with the science related to obesity and its management.
Dr. Chick discussed 바카라 사리트’s educational efforts and resources, including the Obesity Management Learning Hub, comprising materials developed to increase physicians’ confidence in initiating patient conversations and providing counseling on treatment options to patients with obesity. She discussed the organization’s desire to advance awareness and use of these resources, and as evidence-based information evolves, to continue to update, develop and disseminate educational materials to improve outcomes.
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About the American College of Physicians
The is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 145 countries worldwide. 바카라 사리트 membership includes 160,000 internal medicine physicians, related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow 바카라 사리트 on , and .
바카라 사리트 Media Contact: Andrew Hachadorian, (215) 351-2514, AHachadorian@acponline.org