Commentary on comparison of traditional and nontraditional weight loss methods: An analysis of the national health and nutrition examination survey

摘要

At a prevalence of 36%, obesity is one of the most common diseases in the United States, competing for dominance with hypertension1'2 and tobacco use. Costs and morbidity related to obesity are astronomical. Clinician provision of effective counseling of patients for tobacco cessation has been suboptimal3; this also is true with regard to weight loss counseling.4 Indeed, assistance, provision, or review of an actual method to facilitate weight loss was documented in just one-eighth of 461 recorded physician encounters with overweight or obese patients.