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New obesity treatment model stresses clinical, community integration
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Health care providers and community systems must work together while engaging patients and their families to effectively treat and prevent obesity in the United States, according to research in Health Affairs.
William H. Dietz, MD, PhD, director of the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, and colleagues outlined a new obesity model that addresses what they note are multiple needs, including restructured clinical services, a system that includes patients and their families, and sustained partnerships between health care providers and community services, such as the YMCA, to provide patients with more opportunities to maintain a healthier lifestyle.
“This public health crisis calls for a transformation in the way we handle obesity, a chronic disorder that is fueling high rates of diabetes, heart disease and cancer in the United States,” Dietz said in a press release. “We propose a new model for the prevention and treatment of obesity, one that integrates health care in the clinic with resources in the community that make it easier for people to prevent unhealthy weight gain or lose weight and keep it off.”
The new model proposes that clinicians engage family members of those with obesity to help spur behavior changes, such as preparing nutritious meals or increasing physical activity. Clinicians should also be sensitive to the stigmatization patients with obesity may experience, the researchers wrote, while sharing what they learn across specialties. Training for clinicians should include behavior change strategies and up-to-date information about new ways to treat obesity, and clinicians should reach out to community program leaders to help foster a “complementary community ecosystem.”
“Care delivery and these multiple community systems must move beyond parallel activities to a more fully integrated interaction in which the person-centered goals of each system are mutually reinforcing and the respective roles and interdependencies of each system are clearly defined and agreed upon by key stakeholders,” the researchers wrote.
The authors cited public health models such as Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) and Kaiser Permanente’s Community Health Initiative as examples that link clinical and community initiatives to help prevent and control obesity. Financial support and shared data between such programs are key to ensuring their success, the researchers wrote.
“Although the challenges for implementing the model are substantial, the innovative programs and initiatives cited here, along with new mechanisms and policies supporting these approaches, suggest that successful implementation can be achieved,” the researchers wrote. “It is abundantly clear that the current disease care system provides a poor return on investment and cannot be sustained.” – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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