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Nearly Three-Fourths of Americans View Obesity as a Disease
Nearly Three-Fourths of Americans View Obesity as a Disease -- Posted by Gumbo on 12-18-04 19:56
Nearly Three-Fourths of Americans View Obesity as a Disease
OAKLAND, Calif., (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Recent warnings about the alarming
rates of obesity in the United States and the serious health risks involved
have helped jump-start a nationwide discussion of the issue, raising
questions about what causes obesity and how to fight it. Now, according to a
new nationwide survey from Kaiser Permanente, nearly three-fourths of
Americans view obesity as a disease and believe treatment should be included
in health plan benefits.
Obesity is linked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to such
severe health problems as diabetes, coronary heart disease, congestive heart
failure, strokes, some types of cancer and more. Diet and activity patterns
are second only to tobacco as an actual cause of death, and being overweight
has been found to exacerbate various chronic diseases. According to a recent
article in Science Magazine, at the current rate of prevalence, the national
obesity rate will be 39 percent by 2008.
The new survey, conducted for Kaiser Permanente by market research firm
Synovate and released today, asked 1,000 Americans whether they regard
obesity as a disease and believe treatment should be included in health plan
benefits. Respondents were also asked to describe their own weight, to
determine if one's weight class affects views on the subject. Among those
surveyed, more than 78 percent of the sample acknowledged being "a little
bit" or "significantly" over their ideal weight (85 percent of women, 71
percent of men).
Overall, a respondent's own weight had very little impact on his or her
views of obesity. Those above, below and at their ideal weights
overwhelmingly agreed that obesity is a disease and that treatment should be
included as a health plan benefit. Those who agreed most strongly described
themselves as either "slightly" or "significantly" overweight, although
those in other weight categories weren't far behind.
A full 87 percent of respondents who are "significantly overweight," and 71
percent of those who called themselves "slightly overweight," agreed that
obesity is a disease and treatment should be included among health plan
benefits.
The numbers dropped slightly with the scale, but still revealed overwhelming
agreement even among those who don't struggle with weight gain. Sixty-three
percent of respondents at their ideal weight, and 64 percent of those
slightly under, said they believe that obesity is a disease.
"Like the general public, Kaiser Permanente views obesity as a chronic
health condition, and we are responding with programs to help provide
support, knowledge, and options to our members," said William Caplan, MD,
director of clinical development for Kaiser Permanente's Care Management
Institute (KP-CMI). Kaiser Permanente is a leader nationally in joining
forces with others, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), in a collaborative strategic effort to address the crisis of
overweight and obesity in this country. This national weight management
initiative is led by KP-CMI.
"Our survey results reveal that people are taking this issue very seriously,
and they want to know that the healthcare community will support individual
efforts to get weight under control," Dr. Caplan said. "To that end, Kaiser
Permanente now offers a series of online weight loss and fitness programs to
our members. It's just one way we help our members maintain healthy
lifestyles that arrest problems before they can develop.
"In addition, as part of Kaiser Permanente's Weight Management Initiative,
we are conducting research that will lay an evidence-based foundation for
developing, evaluating and sharing proven models of obesity prevention and
treatment," he added. Kaiser Permanente's Garfield Memorial Fund has funded
eight new weight management projects totaling $2.4 million.
Dissecting a Pervasive Problem
According to the survey, those significantly over their ideal weight were
most likely to agree "strongly" (50 percent) that obesity qualifies as a
disease worthy of health plan inclusion -- compared with 24 percent of those
at their ideal weight, 22 percent of those slightly overweight and just
eight percent of those slightly underweight. But it wasn't unanimous, even
within this group. In fact, more than 13 percent of those "significantly
overweight" said they either somewhat or strongly disagreed that obesity is
a disease and treatment should be included. Thirty-seven percent agreed
"somewhat."
Of the 27 percent overall who disagreed, only nine percent said they
"disagreed strongly." Within this group, those who disagreed most strongly
were at their ideal weight - 16 percent, versus 10 percent of those slightly
overweight, and five percent for those significantly overweight and those
slightly underweight.
Both women and men agreed that obesity is a disease and should be included
in health plans (78 percent and 68 percent respectively), while the biggest
gaps in agreement occurred when the findings were broken down by age,
household income and education.
While a majority of all age groups agreed that obesity is a disease, support
for the idea started high among the young and decreased consistently with
age. At the high end, more than 87 percent of respondents between the ages
of 18 and 24 agreed. That number dropped to 60 percent of those 65 and
older.
Interestingly, those with the highest levels of education were not as likely
as their less-educated counterparts to support the idea that obesity is a
disease and treatment should be included in health plans. Slightly more than
64 percent of respondents with post-graduate degrees agreed, while 74
percent of those with at least some college -- and 76 percent of those with
high school or less - agreed.
Online Programs Offer Weight Management
Kaiser Permanente recently introduced a series of in-depth online
behavior-change programs for members, addressing common concerns that affect
the health of increasing numbers of Americans. These modules include weight
management and fitness, smoking cessation, stress reduction and nutrition.
Known collectively as the Kaiser Permanente Healthy Lifestyle Programs,
these new online features are part of a larger effort to empower members to
live healthier lives. The features are based on research acknowledging that
Americans are not just seeking health care but total health, which continues
Kaiser Permanente's long-standing mission of helping to prevent, not just
treat, disease. Kaiser Permanente's online tools can be found at
www.kp.org/totalhealth; Kaiser Permanente's Weight Management Initiative can
be accessed at www.kpcmi.org
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is America's leading integrated health plan. Founded in
1945, it is a not-for-profit, group practice prepayment program with
headquarters in Oakland, Calif. Kaiser Permanente serves the health care
needs of some 8.2 million members in 9 states and the District of Columbia.
Today it encompasses the not-for-profit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.,
Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries, and the for-profit
Permanente Medical Groups. Nationwide, Kaiser Permanente includes
approximately 134,000 technical, administrative and clerical employees and
more than 12,000 physicians representing all specialties.
SOURCE: Kaiser Permanente
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