08-03-2023_BoardBook

AOMs. As innovations like anti-obesity medications evolve, we recommend that USPSTF recommendations include language that matches FDA-approval label updates. It is also important to note that the draft research plan key questions 1 and 2 specifically reference care delivery in the primary care setting. In reality, most evidenced-based obesity care takes place with specialty providers like endocrinologists, dietitians, obesity medicine specialists, etc. The majority of primary care providers are not trained or adequately equipped to deliver effective chronic weight management interventions. Proposed Key Question 3 Obesity is a chronic disease that, if unaddressed, can lead to serious comorbidities and complications. Proposed key question 3 should, at a minimum, differentiate between short- and long-term (i.e., impacting long-term health outcomes) harms associated with interventions. Withdrawal of medication due to side effects and exercise-induced injury are generally experienced in the short-term and unlikely to be harmful to patient outcomes unless they are significant (e.g., fractures, soft-tissue injuries requiring surgery, hospitalization due to AEs) or discourage continued efforts to address obesity. USPSTF appropriately includes unhealthy weight management efforts as a potential harm from interventions. It should also include other harms from ineffective weight loss/management interventions such as continuing/worsening obesity and its complications that may result from clinician failure to offer additional approaches/modalities. Another major and real risk for many patients with obesity is the lack of access and inadequate health insurance coverage for chronic weight management interventions. Most patients also face high out-of-pocket costs for obesity care, which often results in no care and worsening in disease severity and health outcomes. Proposed Contextual Questions OCAN applauds USPSTF for including a number of key issues in its contextual questions surrounding both bias and stigma as well as health inequities surrounding access to obesity care. Weight bias and stigma continue to play a role in everyday life and remains a socially acceptable form of prejudice in American society and is rarely challenged. It can be overt or subtle and occur in any setting, including employment, healthcare, education, mass media and relationships with family and friends. It also takes many forms – verbal, written, media, online and more. Weight bias is dehumanizing and damaging. It can cause adverse physical and psychological health outcomes and promotes a social norm that marginalizes people. Research suggests that beliefs about the causality and stability of obesity are important factors contributing to negative attitudes. For example, studies show that individuals affected by What are the harms associated with weight loss interventions for adults? Weight Bias and Stigma