The Obesity Epidemic: Being Part of the Solution

Abstract

Reading Surgeon General Richard Carmona’s excellent debut column in the September Journal, I felt a familiar sense of pride in you, my fellow ADA members. As he did in his appearance at ADA’s 2003 Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo, Dr Carmona noted that we are key to reducing the obesity epidemic in America and helping people take responsibility for their health. It is always gratifying to know that those “at the top” recognize our contributions and our expertise, and acknowledge that we are part of the solution. Dietetics professionals need to be equipped with every possible means of countering obesity, and ADA’s role is to ensure that you have the skills and the knowledge needed to stay on the cutting edge. Here are just a few examples of the obesity-related tools and resources ADA offers: •Earn a certificate of training in an adult or child and adolescent weight management program. Offered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, these are wonderful opportunities to learn the most effective assessment, treatment, and case management knowledge. Visit www.cdrnet.org for more information.•Read!○ADA helps keep you current on obesity-related research and treatment, both through regular articles in the Journal and the special obesity supplement that was published last May. ADA members also receive a deeply discounted subscription to the new scholarly journal Obesity Management. Visit http://www.liebertpub.com/obe.○ADA’s position statements on weight management, child nutrition, and related issues provide not only the Association’s official stance on the issues, but also a wealth of background and supporting documentation from leading researchers.○ADA has published a variety of resources for health professionals, including Managing Obesity: A Clinical Guide, The ADA Guide to Healthy Eating for Kids: How Your Children Can Eat Smart from 5 to 12, and If Your Child Is Overweight. All are available through the ADA Product Catalog.•Attend FNCE, where the 6-hour Harvard/ADA Research Symposium on Tuesday, October 25, will include a critical appraisal of research related to behavioral counseling theories and an afternoon session on “The Childhood Obesity Epidemic: Predictors and Strategies for Prevention.”•Join a dietetic practice group (DPG), such as Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutritionists, or Weight Management, and be instantly connected to the expertise of their thousands of member experts, newsletters, and other information.•Visit your Web site. You are always just a click away from all the resources of ADA—including scientific summaries under the Research tab on the member-only site. (ADA’s redesigned www.eatright.org debuted in October with a new look and many other innovations.) I have only scratched the surface of the resources ADA offers members to address obesity. Even so, our Association cannot solve the obesity problem on our own—no single organization can. In the words of Lynn Umbreit, MS, RD, chair of the Weight Management DPG, “There is power in numbers. The more people you can bring together to deal with an issue, the more potential you have for positively impacting the problem.” That’s why ADA is involved in numerous coalitions and collaborations with other health-professional groups as well as the government, working together to help people achieve healthier lives. Just a sample of our collaborations include: •membership in the American Council for Fitness and Nutrition, chaired by Susan Finn, PhD, RD, FADA;•participation in Hearts N Parks, which offers combined nutrition and physical activity programs through parks and other recreational facilities;•partnership in Healthy Parenting Initiative, with WellPoint Health Networks, which produced consumer guides on raising healthy children for distribution in physicians’ offices; and•collaboration with Aramark to place ADA messages with menu nutrition symbols in managed foodservice facilities. These collaborations and many more have one purpose: to bring the food and nutrition experts of ADA into close contact with the people you can help most—the American public. ADA members are more aware than anyone of our nation’s obesity epidemic. You care deeply about the health and welfare of your patients, clients, and customers. I want to issue all ADA members a challenge: If you have not already done so, get involved. If all 65,000 of us lent our expertise at the neighborhood, city, or state level, just think how close we could come to finally bringing the obesity epidemic to an end.