Delivering Comprehensive Care to People Living with Obesity [Podcast Series]
[:55] Dr. Bantham introduces her guest, Joe Nadglowski
Joe Nadglowski is President and CEO at Obesity Action Coalition.
He is a member and has led the organization for 20 years.
[1:10] Obesity Action Coalition mission and membership
“One of the hardest things about living with obesity in this world is that everyone in the world thinks they're an expert on obesity, right? Everyone, all of us have either gained or lost weight at some point in our life, and so therefore we think we are the, everyone thinks they're an expert. But the reality is, we have to help people find the right experts to do this, and make sure that those experts are well trained as well.”
[4:28] Addressing weight bias and stigma
“When I talk about stigma and bias, I like to remind folks that somehow, in our rush to make obesity bad, we made the people with obesity bad. And like, if we took another health condition, like cancer or something like that, like we have empathy and compassion. Cancer is definitely bad, right? But we have empathy and compassion for people with cancer and and we don't necessarily have that with, with obesity, and it does make our advocacy work difficult, right?”
[8:15] Benefits of physical activity independent of weight loss
“Now I want to be very clear here, like, I'm a firm believer in the health value of physical activity. I think everyone listening here is that, but I just think we need to be cautious in what we're promising about Can physical activity, on its own cause significant weight loss? And the reality is, the data around that's pretty slim.”
[10:19] Exercising while taking obesity medications
“None of these things are meant to replace another, and it is, it is really naive to think that, oh my gosh, people are going to exercise less because they're using these medicines. No, they're likely going to exercise more and, because it gives them the ability and the peace to do so as they engage and really enjoy those mental health and other cardiovascular benefits that they may receive.”
[12:49] Partnering with healthcare providers to provide obesity care
“I think it’s worth, every person who's engaging with someone who you think is using one of these medicines, and you're counseling them, if you're serving as their fitness professional, to make sure that they're engaging with their health, with a health care provider around these, especially their primary care provider, if not an obesity medicine physician, right?"
[17:55] Delivering comprehensive care to people living with obesity
“In fact, in our advocacy work around comprehensive care, we say people should have access to nutrition, physical activity, mental health, and then, and then medicine, surgery, whatever else they need, like that comprehensive care. And I think in my ideal world, if I could wave a wand and create the, the new healthcare system, all of those services would be reimbursed, right?”
[20:51] Compounded obesity medications
“And honestly, I worry about that because it has created a system where it's not necessarily about comprehensive care, and it's also not necessarily where people are getting advice from a healthcare professional. They're getting it from somebody on Tiktok or, or, some random stranger.”
[25:29] Access to obesity medications
“Most people are saying, hey, Medicare should cover these services. The public believes that, by the way, all the surveying shows that the public believes these medicines should be covered.”
[28:26] Defining clinical obesity
“But I think it's a good first step to actually put some further definition around that, and then kind of just push back on the idea that's out there right now that we determine whether someone has obesity, not solely based on body size, right? Because that's not, this is, again, about health, not about body size, right?”
