Screening and Interventions for Obesity in Adults

Letters3 August 2004Screening and Interventions for Obesity in AdultsGema Frühbeck, R Nutr, MD, PhDGema Frühbeck, R Nutr, MD, PhDFrom Clinica Universitaria de Navarra, Pamplona 31008, Spain.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-141-3-200408030-00026 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's summary on screening and interventions for obesity in adults stated that obesity is common and easy to screen for (1). However, in a population-based sample of 12 835 adults who were classified as obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30 kg/m2) and had visited their physicians for a routine checkup, less than half reported being advised to lose weight by health care professionals (2). It is worrisome that health care professionals are underestimating this life-threatening condition, posing a paradox where a high prevalence collides with underdiagnosis and undertreatment. Although this chronic disease ...References1. McTigue KM, Harris R, Hemphill B, Lux L, Sutton S, Bunton AJ, et al . Screening and interventions for obesity in adults: summary of the evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med. 2003;139:933-49. [PMID: 14644897] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Galuska DA, Will JC, Serdula MK, Ford ES. Are health care professionals advising obese patients to lose weight? JAMA. 1999;282:1576-8. [PMID: 10546698] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Caccamese SM, Kolodner K, Wright SM. Comparing patient and physician perception of weight status with body mass index. Am J Med. 2002;112:662-6. [PMID: 12034417] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Frühbeck G, Diez-Caballero A, Gómez-Ambrosi J, Cienfuegos JA, Salvador J. Preventing obesity. Doctors underestimate obesity [Letter]. BMJ. 2003;326:102. [PMID: 12524699] MedlineGoogle Scholar5. Prentice AM, Jebb SA. Beyond body mass index. Obes Rev. 2001;2:141-7. [PMID: 12120099] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Clinica Universitaria de Navarra, Pamplona 31008, Spain. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoScreening and Interventions for Obesity in Adults: Summary of the Evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Kathleen M. McTigue , Russell Harris , Brian Hemphill , Linda Lux , Sonya Sutton , Audrina J. Bunton , and Kathleen N. Lohr Screening and Interventions for Obesity in Adults Kathleen M. McTigue , Russell Harris , and Janet D. Allan Metrics Cited byBody Fat Mass, Fat Distribution and Egg Consumption: a Population-Based Study in Chinese AdultsPrediction of a new body shape index and body adiposity estimator for development of type 2 diabetes mellitus: The Rural Chinese Cohort StudyThe Impact of Obesity on the Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Using EchocardiographyScreening for the evident in obesityBody mass index classification misses subjects with increased cardiometabolic risk factors related to elevated adiposityClinical Usefulness of a New Equation for Estimating Body FatProinflammatory Cytokines in Obesity: Impact of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Gastric BypassThe Sir David Cuthbertson Medal Lecture Hunting for new pieces to the complex puzzle of obesityThe Sir David Cuthbertson Medal Lecture Hunting for new pieces to the complex puzzle of obesity 3 August 2004Volume 141, Issue 3Page: 245-246KeywordsAdipose tissueBody mass indexBody weightExerciseFatsHealth careMedical risk factorsObesityOverweightWeight loss ePublished: 3 August 2004 Issue Published: 3 August 2004 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2004 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...