Obesity is not just about weight, says a clinical guideline

Canada: Obesity is not just about a person’s weight, but it is about the person’s health, according to a clinical guideline.

The doctors should focus on the overall health of a person and find out the cause of excessive weight gain, says the guideline published in Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The guideline mentions that doctors must recommend other methods than diet and exercise.

According to the guideline, there is an assumption that people with obesity are personally irresponsible and they lack willpower. Ximena Ramos-Salas, director of research and policy at Obesity Canada and one of the writers of the guideline says many doctors treat patients with obesity differently. She says that such discriminatory behavior makes the situation worse.

The guideline was reviewed for the first time after 2006. Though it is still advised to check body mass index (BMI) and waist to diagnose obesity, doctors need to see the impact of weight on a person’s health as well.

The guideline says that obesity needs psychological therapy, medication and surgery like gastric-surgery. According to Ximena Ramos-Salas, people with obesity are like people with chronic diseases.