Obesity Strategies: What Can Be Done

Everyone can take steps to:

• Eat healthy foods and drink healthy beverages, following the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Use:
  • MyPlate resources.
  • Tips for healthy eating for a healthy weight.
• Get the recommended amount of physical activity.
• Get enough sleep.
• Manage stress.
• Talk to your health care provider about whether weight is a health concern. If so, discuss available obesity treatment options to help reduce potential health risks.
• Get involved in local efforts, such as local committees and councils, to improve options for healthier foods and physical activity.

Health Care providers can:

• Measure patients' weight and height, calculate body mass index (BMI) as part of a comprehensive assessment, and discuss how BMI might relate to health.
• Consider the many risk factors for obesity when making a diagnosis and discussing with patients. These factors include nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress, hormones, medications, and others.
• Use the new ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes for adult and child obesity for a more accurate way to classify obesity and severity of obesity (available October 1, 2024). Learn more.
• Refer patients with obesity who are interested in losing weight to improve their health to evidence-based programs, including Family Healthy Weight Programs and the National Diabetes Prevention Program.
• Discuss the use of medications, surgery, and other treatments for excess weight.
• Connect patients and families with community services to help them access healthy foods, including Food Is Medicine programs. Share ways and places to be physically active.
• Seek continuing medical education about obesity.
• Use respectful and non-stigmatizing, person-first language in all weight-related discussions.

Some states and communities are:

Two priority obesity-prevention strategies for state and local programs are:

• Improving nutrition, physical activity, and breastfeeding in early care and education programs.
• Establishing policies and activities that implement, spread, and sustain Family Healthy Weight Programs.

In addition, state and local programs are:

• Designing communities that connect sidewalks, bicycle routes, and public transportation with homes, schools, parks, and workplaces to increase physical activity.
• Expanding voucher incentive and produce prescription programs to make healthy foods more available.
• Promoting food service and nutrition guidelines in worksites, food pantries, and faith-based organizations.
• Implementing policies and activities that achieve continuity of care for breastfeeding.
• Partnering with business and civic leaders to plan and carry out local, culturally tailored interventions to address poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and tobacco use.

The federal government is:

• Studying what works in communities to make it easier for people to be more physically active and have a healthier diet.
• Monitoring trends in obesity and related risk factors.
• Developing and promoting guidelines on dietary patterns and amounts of physical activity needed for good health.
• Helping families with lower incomes get affordable, nutritious foods through programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and farm-to-education programs.
• Supporting children and families who are at higher risk for obesity through services at Federally Qualified Health Centers, Head Start, WIC, and other service agencies.
• Funding programs and providing training and resources for initiatives that promote healthy eating, food and nutrition security, and physical activity.
  
• Supporting the HHS Food Is Medicine initiative in collaboration with other federal partners, organizations, and communities to prevent, manage, and treat diet-related disease states and promote health and wellbeing through food and nutrition. Resources to advance Food Is Medicine can be found here.