Rudd Sound Bites

Moving beyond the personal responsibility debate

by Jennifer Otten

The reader comments to a recent article posted on ABC News titled “Obesity Threatens Emergency Services” have me taking a closer look at our dialogue on obesity issues. Why? A number of readers, who identified themselves as healthcare personnel, underscored many of the challenges described in the article while the other responses ranged from personal responsibility finger-pointing to indignant outcry, stating things such as “If fat people are denied medical care they need, who's next? Smokers? Drinkers? Old people?”

The Clash Between Portion Control and the Environment

by Jennifer Otten

I teach a weight loss group in the environmentally conscious state of Vermont. In a recent class, my group raised the issue that as they try to control their portion sizes they are finding themselves battling their environmental conscience.

For example, one participant controls the amount of sugar in her coffee by using individual packets instead of the large, glass sugar shaker from which one could pour sugar. She feels guilty. In the past she says she used the sugar shaker to avoid the paper waste of the individual packets. Others had concerns over buying the individual serving sizes of yogurt. They were used to buying the larger yogurt containers and then eating from those. But they found they couldn’t control their portion size as well. They also felt guilty and wondered: were they now preserving their own health at the expense of our future, collective environment?

Drawing the Line for Doctors

by Jennifer Otten

A recent article in Time magazine emphasized how important it is for physicians to “say what needs to be said” and diagnose respective patients as overweight or obese.  I wholeheartedly agree – to a certain point. And that certain point, for me, is where diagnosing ends and treatment and counseling begin.

The Time article supports the practice of doctors providing weight management plans for their obese patients, but did not provide data about whether physician-generated weight management plans actually resulted in weight loss or better health.

A New Recommendation: Marketing Physical Activity

by Jennifer Otten

At the beginning of the month, the American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association released updated physical activity recommendations for adults aged 18-65 years.  While I applaud their efforts, I keep wondering: why don’t these guidelines ever include recommendations for marketing and dissemination of this information? Why can’t these organizations be held more accountable for implementation? A sort of “implement what you preach” attitude.