| Stedman's Medical Dictionary defines obesity as an | | | | person according to height. BMI charts must be placed |
| interruption, cessation, or disorder of body function, | | | | in charting rooms and patients room together with the |
| system, or organ. Unfortunately, some physicians have | | | | BMI-associated disease tables. Obesity physicians |
| not approached obesity as a disease. Studies have | | | | should make sure that the patient's height and weight |
| repeatedly confirmed that, when seven out of 10 | | | | are recorded accurately. Preventing obesity is as |
| patients walking into primary care clinics are either | | | | important as preventing other diseases. Obesity |
| overweight or obese, physicians are being desensitized | | | | physicians should be aware of the patient's significant |
| to overweight people and view obesity as a state | | | | weight gain in the succeeding months or even years. |
| rather than a disease. Physicians are in the best | | | | Weight loss programs can be used for patients who |
| position to address obesity in their patients, but first | | | | are not able to lose weight or maintain weight loss with |
| they need to add it to the checklist of problems as | | | | conventional therapies. These includes dietary |
| consistently as they would any other disease. | | | | therapies and physical activities. |
| Obesity physicians in all medical disciplines must carry | | | | Obesity physicians should be concerned about healthy |
| out the task at hand collectively, but it is the main duty | | | | eating and physical activities that can help patients lose |
| of primary care providers, such as internists, family | | | | weight, improve their fitness, and decrease the |
| care physicians, pediatricians, and gynecologists. It is | | | | chances of developing heart disease, high blood |
| also critical that the medical school curriculum be | | | | pressure, or Type 2 diabetes. Small changes can |
| improved commensurate to the weight of the problem | | | | make a surprising difference in a patient's health. |
| we now face globally. | | | | Obesity physicians should offer practical suggestions |
| Obesity physicians should be incorporated with routine | | | | that do not require a complete overhaul of their |
| medical practice. This includes familiarizing themselves | | | | patient's current way of life. In some cases, obesity |
| with the concept of body mass index (BMI), recording | | | | physician may refer patients to a nutrition specialist, |
| every patient's BMI, obtaining patient's weight history, | | | | such as a registered dietitian, for in-depth counseling |
| taking a brief diet history, establishing realistic goals, | | | | about food choices. |
| emphasizing on life-style changes of patients, | | | | If physicians do not rise to the challenge, the country's |
| encouraging close follow-up, and disciplined practice. | | | | health care system could collapse in the next few |
| BMI is the statistical measure of the weight of a | | | | decades under the weight of heavy Americans. |