Addressing Obesity in Adults
December 15, 2021
As the end of the year approaches and we make our resolutions for the new year, it’s important to focus on making healthier lifestyle choices. We know that taking care of your body through exercise and healthy eating can seriously stop preventable diseases like obesity.
Obesity affects nearly 40% of adult Americans and is a major health epidemic across the nation. This condition is associated with a host of other health conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. These diseases can be debilitating and have severe consequences on both individuals and their families. Obesity also makes individuals more susceptible to severe complications from COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals with obesity may have triple the risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19.
Obesity is more likely to affect individuals of certain ethnic and racial backgrounds, including Hispanics. Currently, 44.8% of Hispanic adults living in the US are considered obese. Obesity is a major contributor to some of the top causes of death in the United States for Hispanics. Although the exact causes of these disparities are not yet clear, it is believed that unequal access to healthy food, health care, and safe spaces to exercise are significant contributors. This unequal access contributes to poorer health outcomes for Hispanics.
The National Hispanic Medical Association has been researching ways to raise awareness of this issue and support initiatives that combat the obesity epidemic. As a result, NHMA has partnered with Novo Nordisk to increase awareness of obesity as a disease and improve diagnostics and treatments by encouraging the sharing of information. NHMA also joined the Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN), which works to change the approach to combatting obesity through legislation, regulation, and communication. As a part of OCAN, NHMA actively monitors legislation that could improve obesity outcomes.
One piece of legislation is S. 596, the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2021. This bill provides coverage of two obesity treatments: intensive behavioral therapy and Medicare Part D coverage of obesity medication. Behavioral therapy, which involves working with a therapist to make lifestyle changes, is considered a highly effective treatment for obesity. Physicians may recommend that these lifestyle changes be combined with medications to make treatment more effective for an individual.
NHMA, through its robust network of advocates and providers, remains committed to combatting health disparities and improving the lives of Hispanics across the United States.