FAQs
Question
What is the impact of obesity?
Answer
Six out of 10 Americans are defined as overweight; The U.S. Surgeon General, Richard Carmona, MD called it the greatest threat to public health today. It kills more Americans every year than AIDS, all cancers and all accidents combined. That is why the American Medical Association (AMA) is working to halt the spread of obesity.
_ Obesity (last modified Feb. 20, 2008) <http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/11759.html>.
Question
How many adults age 20 and older are obese (BMI greater than 30)?
Answer
Nearly one-third of U.S. adults are obese.
All adults: 63.6 million (31.4 percent)
Women: 35 million (33.2 percent)
Men: 28.6 million (29.5 percent)
Statistics Related to Overweight and Obesity (last modified July 27, 2007) <http://win.niddk.nih.gov/statistics/>.
Question
Does physician counseling increase weight-loss programs effectiveness?
Answer
Weight-loss programs that include dietary counseling help dieters shed six percent of body weight more each year, according to a new study. For most people, that translates into a loss of 10 to 15 pounds, researchers say.
The team at the Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, analyzed 46 studies focused on weight loss. They compared data from almost 6,400 people whose programs included dietary counseling and almost 5,500 people who were not in these types of programs. Programs with frequent meetings and calorie restrictions resulted in more successful weight loss over time, according to the study, which is published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Question
How much are patients spending on weight loss programs?
Answer
Consumers spend more than $150 million every day on diets and weight loss programs. Americans are the most obese people in history and the problem is getting worse, not better.
Gerald Pugliese, Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, Zone Diet--All Poop Out... (last modified Feb. 28, 2008) <http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/diet-myths-atkins-ornish-weight-watchers-zone-dietall-poop-out.html>.
Question
Is this an ongoing trend?
Answer
In spite of the current downturn in the economy, Market data projects 6.0% annual growth for the total U.S. weight loss market, to $68.7 billion by 2010.
U.S. Weight Loss Market to Reach 58 Billion in 2007 (visited July 22, 2008) <http://www.emaxhealth.com/69/11203.html>.
Question
Can a medically supervised weight loss program add significant value to a hospital or doctors' practice?
Answer
Yes. 66% of the physician's patients and the hospitals' patient base require this treatment.