AAPA Recognizes National Obesity Care Week

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Academy of PAs (AAPA) recognizes National Obesity Care Week (NOCW), Sunday, Oct. 29 to Saturday, Nov. 4, and celebrates PAs (physician assistants) as leaders in obesity medicine.

Today, more than 90 million adult Americans are affected by the disease of obesity. Half of people with obesity report they have never had a conversation about their weight with a healthcare professional (HCP), and only four in 10 patients say they have been counseled about their weight by a HCP.

"It's part of who PAs are to connect with their patients. Since PAs practice medicine in every setting and medical specialty, they are uniquely positioned to be leaders in obesity medicine," said L. Gail Curtis, PA-C, MPAS, DFAAPA, president and chair of AAPA's Board of Directors. "Obesity remains a serious national health issue and AAPA is committed to supporting PAs as part of the solution."

AAPA's recent efforts in obesity medicine include:

• The development of Obesity Leadership Edge, a new online curriculum for PAs, which covers the diagnosis and treatment of obesity, and provides PAs with the skills they need to effectively communicate about weight with their patients.
• Supporting the formation of a Special Interest Group (SIG) in Obesity Medicine, a resource for PAs who wish to connect with other PAs interested in obesity medicine.

To raise more awareness of obesity, AAPA will participate as one of the Obesity Action Coalition's (OAC) 2017 NOCW Champions alongside multiple stakeholders within the broader obesity and healthcare communities.

AAPA will host a Twitter chat on Wednesday Nov. 1 in partnership with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the Obesity Medicine Association using #ObesityChat to discuss best practices in treating patients who are affected by the disease.

Additionally, AAPA will exhibit at the annual ObesityWeek conference taking place from Sunday, Oct. 29 to Thursday, Nov. 2 in National Harbor, MD. The conference, which is hosted by the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and The Obesity Society (TOS), focuses on the science, clinical application, surgical intervention, and prevention of obesity.

NOCW is a joint effort among the OAC, TOS, the STOP Obesity Alliance and the ASMBS with a vision to create a society that understands, respects, and accepts the complexities of obesity and values science-based care.

About the American Academy of PAs
AAPA is the national organization that advocates for all PAs and provides tools to improve PA practice and patient care. Founded in 1968, AAPA represents a profession of more than 115,500 PAs across all medical and surgical specialties in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories and the uniformed services. Visit www.aapa.org to learn more.

SOURCE American Academy of PAs

Related Links

http://www.aapa.org