American Medical Association approves obesity training

Following finding that 53% of health professionals have reported needing more training in obesity management, and 50% having requesed better tools to help patients understand obesity risks, the American Medical Association has approved a policy to offer training to health professionals for obesity prevention and management.

Medical students in the United States will now be trained to prevent, diagnose and manage obesity.

“Obesity continues to impact the health of a great number of people across the country, contributing to an increase in associated conditions such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes,” Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, MD, AMA Board Member, said in a press release. “We know that the health consequences and financial burden of obesity are devastating, yet many of our medical students and physicians are unaware of how to address obesity in their patients. We must ensure that all physicians and physicians-in-training have the tools and information they need to better understand obesity so they can provide their patients with the best care possible.”