The January issue of Your Weight Matters Magazine is now online! January topics include the following:
To view the January issue, click here.
Learn how Washington insiders, industry leading wellness advocates, world renowned employer groups are implementing forward-thinking reimbursement models and behavioral modification incentives to reverse the continually growing obesity epidemic at the 4th Annual Obesity Congress on September 30 – October 2, 2009 in Alexandria, VA.
Presenting at the Obesity Congress:
Jim Fivecoat, Chair, Obesity Action Coalition (OAC); Manager, Retirement Plans, Michelin North America
Jim offers more than 34 years of career experience in business. The past 30 years have kept him involved in Personnel, Organization Development and Benefits for a major international manufacturer, with more than 36,000 employees and retirees in the USA. He currently manages retirement plans with more than $4 billion in assets and monthly payments of more than $14 million. In addition he is a member of his company’s Benefits Policy Committee and the Investment Committee. Jim has an MBA from Kent State University, and has done extensive post-graduate work with the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. He is currently Chairman of the Board for the OAC and on the Board of the Surgical Review Corporation.
Register by August 28, 2009 with promotional code PPS642 and save an extra $300 on the current registration fee! Click here to register today! For more information on the meeting, please click here.
The August issue of Obesity Action Alert is now online. Please click here to view.
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As the “Weight of the Nation” conference comes to an end, I thought I would share a few final thoughts. I really am truly appreciative of the leadership of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the obesity prevention issue. It is quite reassuring to know that there is a group looking at some of the social determinants (socioeconomic issues, transportation, food supply, etc.) that lead to our environment where obesity is so prevalent.
With that being said, I still think at the same time we need to have a similar focus on intervening with or treating obesity. Throughout the meetings, I heard great examples of environmental prevention efforts that appear to be working, but we also need to hear about obesity intervention efforts and what is working and not working as well. Hosting a similar meeting on the treatment of obesity with the widespread support of both the CDC and public policy makers will be something I will be encouraging officials to do in the near future.
Thanks to all of you who followed my remarks on the OAC blog and on Facebook. If you would like to see the OAC utilize our blog and Facebook in a similar fashion in the future, please let us know by emailing info@obesityaction.org as we always appreciate feedback and constructive criticism.
Another interesting comment from one of the mayors on the panel, “The wellness/health of citizens should be our elected officials number one priority especially at the local level. Without health, how can a community thrive at any level?”
Can’t find a champion in your community? Try reminding your officials that addressing weight issues among citizens benefits their communities in many ways.
The current session features mayors from cities across the country who are tackling obesity. One of the mayors made an interesting observation. He said, “The obesity epidemic is more about a failure of public policy and vision than any other factor.” A pretty powerful statement from an elected official considering how many believe that the obesity epidemic is solely a failure of individuals.
As the third and final day of the “Weight of the Nation” conference begins, I will be attending tracks looking at working with state and local officials to encourage action around obesity. These topics are very familiar to me personally as working with state and federal officials is a big part of my job description and my personal passion. However, the topics have me thinking about the importance of the members and supporters of the OAC taking action in their own local communities. You may have concerns about childhood obesity, school foods, exercise, treatment or some other obesity focused topic and if you are not acting on them in some way through volunteering with local programs or being a public advocate, we need you to do so. As I’ve said many times in the past, the OAC will become a true advocacy voice when we are not only representing the interests of our members, but when our members themselves become advocates.
My first session included references to a number of interesting Web resources for those of you interested in actual examples of policy recommendations or legislation that has been considered.
The first is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and actually allows you to search state legislation (both passed or defeated) dealing with physical activity, nutrition and obesity for the past several years:
http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DNPALeg/Index.asp
Two other great sites include:
Quite frequently I am asked for actual examples of legislation and policies and I think the above resources are great sources for such information.
My final session for today was a very interesting, and at times troubling, panel on using incentives to reduce obesity. One of the presenters specifically spoke on the use of financial incentives in the workplace and what the law allows. She raised several theoretical examples of scenarios and asked the audience whether she thought they were legal or illegal. One of those examples was an employer choosing to fire all of their employees with a body mass index (BMI) more than 25 in an effort to reduce health costs. Her response that while this may be illegal in Michigan and a few cities (who have weight discrimination laws), she believed (admitting that this would obviously be challenged legally under the Americans with Disabilities act by the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission if there were morbidly obese employees at the company) that under recent case law, the employer would likely win legally (although they obviously might face some serious scrutiny and public criticism from the OAC and many others, and I have a strong feeling a number of lawyers would disagree with her as other state/federal laws may intervene).
Whether correct or incorrect in her conclusions, her example really pointed out that we need to proceed with some caution around the topic of employer incentives and penalties to address obesity and that we may need to push for further laws/regulations to ensure fair treatment. Employers offering incentives around urging workers to adopt healthy lifestyles is likely to be encouraged and expanded under healthcare reform and unfortunately I am not so sure we are ready for the potential consequences of such programs. Special care will need to be taken in both the implementation and regulation around any such incentive programs.
This will be my last update for the day. Look for more tomorrow as the inaugural “Weight of the Nation” conference wraps up.
Thank you for visiting oacblog.org. The OAC is a non profit patient-based organization that educates and advocates for those affected by all forms of obesity.