Health News
The American Medical Association now recognizes obesity as a disease, which may make it easier for Kentuckians to fight the state's obesity epidemic by gaining insurance coverage for necessary medical treatment. Under the leadership of newly elected President Ardis Hoven of Lexington, the physicians' group voted to approve this new obesity policy June 18 during its annual meeting in Chicago. Click here to read the report by the AMA?s Council on Science and Public Health.
Kentucky ranks 10th highest in the U.S. for adult obesity, and the state's obesity rate is predicted to jump from 30 percent in 2011 to more than 60 percent in 2030. This year, $2.3 million is expected to be spent on medical costs linked to obesity, and that number is estimated to rise to $6 billion in 2018, says a report by the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky.
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/09/24/2349167/recent-report-on-kys-obese-future.html#storylink=cpy
Being overweight or obese greatly increases the risk of developing other chronic diseases like diabetes, stroke, arthritis, sleep apnea, asthma, heart attack and certain cancers or other complications like asthma, joint problems and psychological issues, says the report. Kentucky children also suffer from high rates of obesity, and if the current trend continues, one in every three American children will develop Type 2 diabetes.
"Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue," AMA board member Dr. Patrice Harris said in a statement. Although Medicare and Medicaid do cover obesity treatment associated with another disease or disorder, they do not cover interventions and counseling about lifestyle changes necessary to fight obesity. The AMA declaration could lead to coverage and help increase funding for obesity research, reports Jacque Wilson of CNN. With the AMA now calling obesity a disease, "insurers can stop ducking their responsibility" in paying for obesity treatments, Dr. Virginia Hall, an obstetrician from Hershey, Pa., said in a Forbes magazine report by Bruce Japsen.
Also, identifying obesity as a disease help reduce the stigma often associated with being overweight, Joe Nadglowski, president of the Obesity Action Coalition, told Wilson. "Obesity has been considered for a long time to be a failure of personal responsibility -- a simple problem of eating too much and exercising too little," he said. "But it's a complex disease. . . . We're hoping attitudes will change."
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Health News
AMA calls obesity a disease; could spur coverage for treatment
Kentucky ranks 10th highest in the U.S. for adult obesity, and the state's obesity rate is predicted to jump from 30 percent in 2011 to more than 60 percent in 2030. This year, $2.3 million is expected to be spent on medical costs linked to obesity, and that number is estimated to rise to $6 billion in 2018, says a report by the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky.
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/09/24/2349167/recent-report-on-kys-obese-future.html#storylink=cpy
Being overweight or obese greatly increases the risk of developing other chronic diseases like diabetes, stroke, arthritis, sleep apnea, asthma, heart attack and certain cancers or other complications like asthma, joint problems and psychological issues, says the report. Kentucky children also suffer from high rates of obesity, and if the current trend continues, one in every three American children will develop Type 2 diabetes.
"Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue," AMA board member Dr. Patrice Harris said in a statement. Although Medicare and Medicaid do cover obesity treatment associated with another disease or disorder, they do not cover interventions and counseling about lifestyle changes necessary to fight obesity. The AMA declaration could lead to coverage and help increase funding for obesity research, reports Jacque Wilson of CNN. With the AMA now calling obesity a disease, "insurers can stop ducking their responsibility" in paying for obesity treatments, Dr. Virginia Hall, an obstetrician from Hershey, Pa., said in a Forbes magazine report by Bruce Japsen.
Also, identifying obesity as a disease help reduce the stigma often associated with being overweight, Joe Nadglowski, president of the Obesity Action Coalition, told Wilson. "Obesity has been considered for a long time to be a failure of personal responsibility -- a simple problem of eating too much and exercising too little," he said. "But it's a complex disease. . . . We're hoping attitudes will change."
- Mayors And Ama Say Food Stamps Shouldn't Pay For Soft Drinks
Louisville's Greg Fischer is among 18 mayors asking Congress to ban sugary drinks from purchase under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called food stamps. One day after their June 18 letter, the American Medical Association...
- Report: Two-thirds Of Kentuckians Obese By 2030 If Trends Continue; Cost To Nation's Future Unquestionably High
Nearly two-thirds of adults in Kentucky will be obese by 2030 if rates continue to climb as they are now, an analysis reported Tuesday. The level of obesity, defined as being roughly 30 or more pounds overweight, is projected to reach 60.1 percent in...
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The percentage of Kentucky adults who are obese is smaller than its was, but the state is still 10th in the country, according to a new, influential analysis by Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report...
- September Is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
September has been proclaimed national Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, with President Obama asking Americans to "take action by learning about and engaging in activities that promote healthy eating and greater physical activity by all our nation's...
- Kentucky 6th In Obesity; State Rate Rises For 2nd Consecutive Year
"It's official: Kentucky is a mecca for blubber," The Courier-Journal's Darla Carter reports. The state has the sixth highest rate of obese adults, is one of just six states whose obesity rate has risen for the second year in a row, and is one...