Is Obesity a Disease?

Paper Summary:

This paper is written as a presentation to a board meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA), which includes a variety of professionals, such as physicians, researchers, business people, governmental representatives, and special interest groups. The aim of the paper is to persuade the interested parties that obesity should be considered an official disease in order to facilitate support for those seeking treatment.

Contents
Introduction, Background and Definition
Persuade the Scientists
Persuade the Advocacy Groups
Persuade the Federal Agencies
Persuade the Insurance Companies
Persuade the Drug Makers
Visual: Charts
Recommendations and Conclusions

From the Paper:

"By officially declaring obesity a disease, avenues open for special interests groups to promote their ideas concerning our lifestyle, culture, and way of life in America. According to an article from American Family Physician, "the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity reflects changes in society and behaviors over the past 20 to 30 years" (Lyznicki, Young, Riggs, & Davis, 2001). This clear transition in American culture is a warning sign to all concerned to combat the spread of obesity by ignorance and avoidance. According to Bonnie Liebman, a Nutrition Action representative, "300,000 [people] die from diet-related diseases and a sedentary lifestyle" each year. (Brownell, Liebman, 1998) This is a self-induced condition which advocacy groups such as Nutrition Action have set itself out to combat. People need to put down the fast-food that is clearly unhealthy and embrace a lifestyle filled with fruits and vegetables and other natural products."

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