ACTION Study explores attitudes and behaviors about obesity

Obesity is recognized by leading health organizations, including the American Medical Association and the World Health Organization, as a chronic disease.1-5 Associated with decreased life expectancy and many comorbidities, obesity requires a long-term and comprehensive management approach to help people with the disease achieve and maintain successful weight loss.6,7 However, many people with obesity do not receive optimal medical care and support, often due to multiple barriers that have been identified in prior research.8,9

The ACTION Study is the first to explore these barriers and perspectives on obesity among three important groups in the sphere of obesity care: people with obesity, health care professionals, and employers. Each of these groups plays an important role in the care and support of people with obesity.

ACTION study important groups: people with obesity, healthcare professionals, and employers

Three phases of the ACTION study

Learn more about the methodology of the ACTION Study

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1. American Medical Association House of Delegates. Recognition of obesity as a disease. Resolution 420 (A-13). http://www.npr.org/documents/2013/jun/ama-resolution-obesity.pdf. Received May 15, 2013. Accessed October 17, 2016.

2. World Health Organization. Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic. Report of a WHO consultation. World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser. 2000;894:1-253.

3. Bray GA, Kim KK, Wilding JPH. Obesity: a chronic relapsing progressive disease process. A position statement of the World Obesity Federation. Obes Rev. May 2017.

4. Mechanick JI, Garber AJ, Handelsman Y, Garvey WT. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists’ position statement on obesity and obesity medicine. Endocr Pract. 2012;18(5):642-648.

5. McKinney L. Diagnosis and Management of Obesity. American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). https://www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/patient_care/fitness/obesity-diagnosis-management.pdf. Accessed December 20, 2017.

6. Jensen MD, Ryan DH, Apovian CM, et al. American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines; Obesity Society. 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline for the management of overweight and obesity in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and The Obesity Society. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014;63(25ptB):2985-3023.

7. Guh DP, Zhang W, Bansback N, et al. The incidence of co-morbidities related to obesity and overweight: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health. 2009;9:88.

8. Puhl RM, Huer CA. Obesity stigma: important considerations for public health. Am J Pub Health. 2010;100(6)1019-1028.

9. Ruelaz AR, Diefenbach P, Simon B, Lando A, Arterburn D, Shekelle PG. Perceived barriers to weight management in primary care – perspectives of patients and providers. Gen Intern Med. 2007;22:518-522.