Despite the fact that obesity is one of the most prominent medical conditions in existence, it is sadly one of the most poorly treated. There exists very little education about obesity for health care providers, and the stigma against obesity is even stronger in the medical community than it is in the general population. Although this is slowly changing, only a small minority of people with obesity actually have this medical condition addressed and treated with the help of their health care provider.
The ACTION study was thus designed to better understand the barriers to effective obesity care. This study was a survey conducted in USA, completed by three groups of people:
- 3,008 people with obesity
- 606 health care providers (primary care/family medicine, internal medicine, and obesity specialists)
- 153 employers who provide health insurance or wellness programs to their employees
- not enough time
- more important issues to discuss
- they did not believe their patient was motivated to lose weight
- they did not believe their patient was interested in losing weight (au contraire – data supports that the vast majority of people with obesity are interested in losing weight)
- concern over patient’s emotional state or psychological issues
- lack of exercise (note: exercise is less important for weight loss and more important for weight maintenance)
- lack of motivation (could this be because of a lack of understanding of the causes and contributors to each individual’s weight struggle?)
- preference for unhealthy food (could this be because food is being used to medicate untreated depression or pain by releasing ‘happy hormones’ in our brains?)
- controlling hunger
- cost of healthy food
The ACTION study is truly a treasure trove of information that should help all components of society better identify, understand, and gradually overcome the barriers to successful weight management.
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