DMAA Joins Call for Congressional Action to
Combat Obesity, Overweight

WASHINGTON, D.C.—DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance today joined with other Campaign to End Obesity partners in calling on Congress to take tangible, high-impact steps to advance obesity prevention and intervention.

The groups released a report, "A Call to Action: What Congress can do to address the obesity epidemic in 2008 and beyond," that highlights the many opportunities available to combat obesity through legislative action in various policy areas, including education, finance, transportation, agriculture, appropriations, health care and research.

"There may be no greater threat to the health and welfare of our population than the growing epidemic of obesity and the many chronic conditions associated with it," DMAA President and CEO Tracey Moorhead said. "We have many opportunities—and not just in health care policy—to promote healthful lifestyles, weight management and treatment. We call on all our national policy makers to take meaningful and immediate steps toward solutions."

DMAA, through its Obesity with Comorbidities Initiative, is taking an active role in research, education and advocacy to raise awareness of overweight and obesity and evidence-based, high-quality approaches to fighting these conditions. In 2006, DMAA produced a first-ever definition of obesity with comorbid conditions, which concluded that obesity should be considered in the context of chronic disease and that overweight and obesity substantially increase the risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, stroke, certain types of cancer and other chronic illnesses.

The definition is part of a broader research and education effort by DMAA that includes an annual Obesity Management Symposium—this year, Sept. 7, in Hollywood, Fla.; a 2007 literature review of assessment and management options published in the organization's peer-reviewed journal, Disease Management; and development of other resources, including a soon-to-be-released, prototypical obesity benefit that employers, insurers and others can use to design health plan coverage for obesity prevention and management.

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About DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance
DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance convenes all stakeholders providing services along the care continuum toward the goal of population health improvement. These care continuum services include strategies such as health and wellness promotion, disease management, and care coordination. DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance promotes the role of population health improvement in raising the quality of care, improving health outcomes and reducing preventable health care costs for individuals with chronic conditions and those at risk for developing chronic conditions. DMAA's activities in support of these efforts include advocacy, research and the promotion of best practices in care management.

DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance represents more than 200 corporate and individual stakeholders—including wellness, disease and care management organizations, pharmaceutical manufacturers and benefit managers, health information technology innovators, biotechnology innovators, employers, physicians, nurses and other health care professionals, and researchers and academicians. Visit DMAA on the Web at www.dmaa.org.