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Title: New and emerging weight management strategies for busy ambulatory settings: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association

Author
item RAO, GOUTHAM - University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center
item BURKE, LORI - University Of Pittsburgh
item SPRING, BONNIE - Northwestern University
item EWING, LINDA - University Of Pittsburgh
item LICHTENSTEIN, ALICE - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item TURK, MELANIE - Duquesne University
item CORMIER, MARC-ANDRE - University Of Colorado
item SPENCE, J - Robarts Research Institute
item COONS, MICHAEL - Northwestern University

Submitted to: Circulation
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/21/2011
Publication Date: 10/21/2011
Citation: Rao, G., Burke, L., Spring, B., Ewing, L., Lichtenstein, A., Turk, M., Cormier, M., Spence, J.D., Coons, M. 2011. New and emerging weight management strategies for busy ambulatory settings: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 124:1182-1203.

Interpretive Summary: The purpose of this scientific review statement is to provide an overview of new and emerging tools and strategies that can be used to discuss body weight and promote weight loss with overweight and obese people. The primary focus of the review is to present practical tools and strategies related to body weight management that can be used in busy settings during which people are seen for a wide variety of medical issues. Initial efforts should be to assess people’s body weight to determine whether they are in the overweight and obese range. On the basis of the literature review, three categories of strategies have emerged that are related to this topic: (1) appropriate ways of discussing body weight with patients (including readiness to change); (2) approaches that involve multidisciplinary collaboration among healthcare professionals; and (3) strategies that make use of information technology to deliver weight management programs. Although many weight management approaches that make use of newer technology have not been evaluated, preliminary data suggests that these new approaches to managing body weight should be considered because of the limited number of currently available options and that these newer technologies may have the potential to impact large numbers of people than one on one counseling.

Technical Abstract: The purpose of this statement is to provide an overview of new and emerging tools and strategies for discussing weight and assisting overweight and obese patients. Only tools and strategies that can be used practically in busy ambulatory settings are included. The goal is to provide clinicians with evidence-based strategies to tackle the problem of obesity in settings in which patients are seen for a wide variety of problems. Before using such strategies, of course, it is important to assess patients for overweight and obesity, a critical step that is addressed in another pending American Heart Association scientific statement on assessment of adiposity. On the basis of our literature review, we have divided strategies into 3 categories: (1) appropriate ways of discussing body weight with patients (including readiness to change); (2) approaches that involve multidisciplinary collaboration among healthcare professionals; and (3) strategies that make use of information technology to deliver weight management programs. Although many weight management approaches that make use of technology have not been evaluated in busy ambulatory settings, we believe technological approaches should be included in the present statement because they have the potential to impact large numbers of participants and are relatively easy to recommend, administer, or refer to in such settings.