The Obesity Epidemic: What’s Your Professional Connection?
by APA Practice Organization Staff
April 12, 2004 -- “Inactive Americans are eating themselves to death at an alarming rate . . . , a government study found.” Associated Press, 3/10/04
The obesity epidemic and its health-related consequences continue to garner substantial coverage in the mainstream media. For example, a report on “Actual Causes of Death in the United States, 2000,” published in the the Journal of the American Medical Association (3/10/04) was the source for a plethora of articles and letters in The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN.com, among other high profile sources.
Much of the coverage focused on the report authors’ conclusion that poor diet and physical inactivity – hallmarks of the growing obesity epidemic – may soon overtake tobacco as the leading cause of mortality in the United States. Also prominent in the media attention were references to “preventable death.” Indeed, the authors emphasize that the context for their research involves “modifiable behavioral risk factors” and that their findings point to greater urgency to establishing a “more preventive orientation” in the U.S. health care delivery system.
The Practice Directorate is very interested in learning what professional activities practicing psychologists are engaged in to assist overweight individuals. For example,
- How much of your practice, if any, involves working on weight control with overweight individuals?
- What strategies or models do you use to aid weight control?
- Have you identified emerging professional opportunities associated with the obesity epidemic?
Please share your feedback with us by sending an email to pracupdate@apa.org. We may follow-up for additional information and share some feedback in a later issue of this newsletter.
