Please join me in lessening the disparity

I belong to a number of Internet professional organizations and so receive updates on what's being done out in the "bigger" world regarding focusing on wellness versus weight. Just when I think things are getting better I am reminded that that is not the case. In an "Intuitive Eating Professionals Discussion" chain there was a comment posted 3 days ago from Deborah Kauffmann a Registered Dietician in Baltimore, MD:

Just finished listening to a disturbing American Dietetic Association (ADA) webinar. ADA in conjuction with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (American Heart Association and WJ Clinton Foundation) have put together Pediatric Weight Management Guidelines and are in the process of getting physicians, insurers ... and RDs ... to use the guidelines. According to what I listened to today, the guidelines are completely weight (vs health) focused.

In reply, Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD and the creator of this discussion group offered the following resource:

Here's an evidenced based article, by an authority on adolescents,Diane Neumark-Sztainer: 
"Preventing obesity and eating disorders in adolescents: what can health care providers do?" 
J Adolesc Health. 2009 Mar;44(3):206-13. 

This article describes five research-based recommendations for health care providers to help prevent both obesity and eating disorders among adolescents that they see within clinical, school, or other settings. The recommendations are based primarily upon findings from Project EAT, a large, population-based study of eating and weight-related issues in adolescents.

Recommendations include the following: 1) discourage unhealthy dieting; instead encourage and support the use of eating and physical activity behaviors that can be maintained on an ongoing basis; 2) promote a positive body image; 3) encourage more frequent, and more enjoyable, family meals; 4) Encourage families to talk less about weight and do more at home to facilitate healthy eating and physical activity; and 5) assume that overweight teens have experienced weight mistreatment and address this issue with teens and their families. These recommendations stress the importance of helping adolescents and their families focus less on weight and more on sustained behavioral change.

The sadness for me comes when I realize that the ADA and others handing out advice for professionals are not accessing the plethora of information available (see The Academy of Eating Disorders (AED) Guidelines for Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs) on the efficacy of Intuitive Eating and a Health at Every Size Approach to wellness. Evelyn went on to say:

I just read ADA's" Evidence-Based Pediatric Weight Management Nutrition Practice Guidelines", which are largely based on this paper:  "Expert Committee Recommendations Regarding the Prevention, Assessment, and Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity: Summary Report Pediatrics 2007 120: S164-S192." 
 
There is no mention of risk of eating disorders, the need to focus on health, rather than weight and so forth in ADA's "Benefits and Risks/Harms of Implementing the Recommendations" ... And the ADA guidelines run contrary to AED guidelines. 

When we are bombarded with frightening media reports of our country's "obesity epidemic" and then receive faulty guidance from those we believe to be experts in their fields (American Dietetic Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, etc.) it becomes difficult to tease out the kernels of truth by which we, as parents, can guide our children. 

Until the disparity between the weight focused professionals and the wellness focused professionals becomes lessened I choose to trust the Guidelines that are so succinctly stated in the AED article mentioned above. I personally know and trust the professionalism of the authors of this paper and attempt to do my part in lessening the gap between the weight-focused and wellness-focused professionals by sharing this information at every opportunity.  I invite you to join me in doing the same.

Blessings until next time,

Doris 

Comments

[Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD]

Hi Doris,

Thank you for the mention. Health professionals are welcome to join Intuitive Eating Professionals at LinkedIn--it's free.

You can contact me via LinkedIn or www.EvelynTribole.com

Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD
Co-author Intuitive Eating