Source: ACE
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (September 4, 2014) – The American Council on Exercise (ACE) issued the following statement in response to the report State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America (formerly called F as in Fat) released today by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report is considered to be among the most important documents on the current state of the U.S. obesity epidemic.
“It is significant that among The State of Obesity report’s leading policy recommendations is a call to integrate medical care in the clinical setting with hands-on support for people with risk factors for obesity where they live, learn, work and play,” said ACE Chief Science Officer Cedric Bryant, Ph.D., FACSM. “The report underscores the need to integrate healthcare provided inside the doctor’s office with community-based prevention programming provided as an extension of traditional clinical services.”
“We are glad to see the call for new health system approaches, including community obesity prevention programs, to lower costs and improve outcomes, particularly in communities where services are often limited and underutilized. And we’re thrilled to see the report highlight new regulations that allow reimbursement of a broader array of entities to deliver support to those at risk of obesity and its comorbidities in neighborhoods, workplaces and schools,” said Bryant. In late August, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force named properly trained exercise professionals – such as those that ACE educates, certifies and represents – among the professions qualified to deliver behavior counseling in the community as part of the healthcare team for those with multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease.”
Jeff Levi, Ph.D., executive director of the Trust for America's Health, said, “Many Americans only have doctor’s appointments once or twice a year. The rest of the year they are often on their own to find ways to follow their doctor’s advice in their daily lives. Connecting healthcare inside the doctor’s office with community-based health and other social service programs and resources, including well-qualified health and fitness professionals, can provide ongoing support, education and opportunities to increase their levels of physical activity and improve health.”
Find ACE’s position on behavior-change facilitation as a key to addressing the obesity epidemic here.
Find the full The State of Obesity report here.
About ACE
The nonprofit American Council on Exercise (ACE) educates, certifies, and speaks for a growing network of 54,000 fitness professionals, health coaches and other wellness experts, a community ACE is leading more directly into the fight against physical inactivity and obesity. ACE advocates for recognition of its profession as a provider of primary prevention and obesity-management services, and it makes available to the public science-based information and resources on safe and effective physical activity and general healthy living. Headquartered in San Diego, ACE is the largest provider of health and fitness certifications accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the gold standard in the United States for assessing professional competence, ensuring people have access to fitness, health and wellness professionals that are properly trained, qualified and capable. For more information, call (888) 825-3636 or visit ACEfitness.org. AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EXERCISE, ACE and ACE logos are Registered Trademarks of the American Council on Exercise.
