Obesity Forum®: Getting Engaged in Obesity Care

Obesity is an increasingly prevalent chronic condition associated with substantial risks of morbidity and mortality. It is also a risk factor for some of the leading causes of preventable death, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, and certain types of cancer. With prevalence continuing to escalate, it is predicted that 1 in 2 Americans will have obesity by 2030. Among the groups most at risk for severe obesity are women, Black non-Hispanic adults, and low-income adults. Currently, underdiagnosis and undertreatment of obesity are frequent due to shortcomings in patient evaluation, uncertainty regarding approaches that support adherence to behavioral and lifestyle modifications, and a lack of thorough knowledge concerning the efficacy and safety of pharmacologic and surgical interventions. Patients with overweight or obesity often have multiple health concerns and may see several providers; therefore, a multidisciplinary management approach is required. Obesity Forum® 2022 is a 2-part, multi-accredited series that aims to provide health care professionals with guidance on the appropriate use of therapies as well as strategies for delivering individualized care to patients of any age with overweight or obesity via interprofessional strategies. This session, Getting Engaged in Obesity Care, incorporates didactic presentations covering considerations for obesity management in primary care, obesity as a chronic disease, and comorbid conditions related to obesity. It also unravels obesity facts and myths.