Why is this important?

This 16 page report, titled “The Failure of Obesity Efforts and the Collective Nature of Solutions,” surveyed more than 700 clinicians and experts nationwide and then summarizes their responses.  This is important because it gives clear expression to the failure of the health care system to “fix” the obesity problem.  The Report is also significant in that all these clinical experts don’t even recognize a role for worksite wellness programs or for employers.  They call for societal level coordinated intervention and failed strategies like childhood education. It is sobering that the employers’ role is not even addressed in the report.

Another important insight in the survey report is that approximately 44% of obese patients are either “not very engaged” or “not at all engaged” in dealing with their obesity.  That’s almost half!  This has important implications for the potential role that employers could play in increasing consumer engagement.  Clinicians don’t have the answers, but they need to see the potential for collective solutions that include employers, health plans and others.

What can you do with this resource?

Here’s what you could do with this resource/document:

• Scan the Report for its highlights.
• Check out the data tables for insights that can be shared with senior management.
• Save this resource under the heading of “Weight Management.”
• Note any major findings that can be used in your present or future programming strategy.
• Share with your staff and volunteers the highlights to get them thinking about obesity issues.
• Use “snipping tool” to lift the graphics and tables out of the report and put into your own presentations (Remember to cite the source.)

In summary, this clinician survey summary report has several useful insights that can be used to reach out to your own medical staff and to the external medical and clinical community around weight management issues and to open constructive discussion about how best to help the large group of employees and/or spouses that struggle with this difficult health issue.