Federal task force urges docs to screen for obesity, offer counseling

An advisory panel on Monday recommended that obese adults receive intensive counseling. This step could lead to an expansion of insurance coverage for weight-loss treatments.  

Los Angeles Times: Obese Adults Should Get Counseling, Federal Task Force Says
In a move that could significantly expand insurance coverage of weight-loss treatments, a federal health advisory panel on Monday recommended that all obese adults receive intensive counseling in an effort to rein in a growing health crisis in America (Healy, 6/25).

The Associated Press: Know Your BMI: Docs Urged To Screen For Obesity
Body mass index signals if you're overweight, obese or just right considering your height. Some doctors have begun calling it a vital sign, as crucial to monitor as blood pressure. But apparently not enough doctors check: A government panel renewed a call Monday for every adult to be screened for obesity during checkups, suggesting more physicians should be routinely calculating their patients' BMIs (Neergaard, 6/26).

Kaiser Health News: Preventive Services Task Force Endorses Obesity Screening, Counseling
All adults should be screened for obesity, and those found to be obese should be offered at least 12 weeks of intensive counseling about lifestyle changes, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said in a statement published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine (Graham, 6/25).

Reuters: Doctors Should Screen Patients For Obesity: U.S. Panel
Doctors should check weight and height for all patients to determine if they're obese and refer them to intensive diet and exercise programs if necessary, according to new guidelines from a U.S. government-backed panel. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said the guidelines echo its 2003 recommendations on screening for obesity, but take into account more recent evidence that adults can lose weight and keep it off with the right help (Pittman, 6/25).

Boston Globe: Obese Patients Should Be Referred For Counseling But Not Prescribed Weight-Loss Drugs, Panel Says
An expert panel recommended on Monday that doctors consider giving exercise and diet advice to healthy adults who appear willing to make changes and reiterated old recommendations that doctors screen all adults for obesity. The panel also recommended that obese individuals get referred for behavioral interventions such as diet, exercise, and weight-loss counseling but declined to recommend weight loss drugs such as Orlistat (Kotz, 6/25).

HealthDay News/Philadelphia Inquirer: Screen All Adults For Obesity: U.S. Panel
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released new guidelines Monday recommending that doctors screen all of their patients for obesity and when appropriate, refer them to a comprehensive lifestyle-management program to help them lose weight. … "The obesity screening recommendations are an update of existing recommendations that we felt was necessary because the evidence has increased and strengthened the argument for physicians to screen all of their patients for obesity," explained task force member Dr. David Grossman, medical director of preventive care at Group Health Cooperative, in Seattle (Gordon, 5/25).