Obesity, Management of in Primary Care

The obesity epidemic in the United States has received a great deal of recent attention in the medical and public health literature. The prevalence of obesity continues to dramatically increase across region, gender, race, and education levels. Moreover, the negative impact of overweight and obesity on the development of cardiovascular risk factors, diabetes, and certain cancers, along with the staggering economic costs and psychosocial consequences, makes it one of the highest priorities in public health and medicine today. Research has shown that patients who are overweight or obese and are seen in primary care practice are interested in receiving weight control advice from their physician, yet most studies find that obesity often goes underdiagnosed and overlooked during primary care visits. Although evidence-based guidelines for the ...