The 3rd Annual National Obesity Care Week (NOCW) Kicks Off With A Vision To Change The Way We Care About The Disease Of Obesity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- October 29^th marks the beginning of National Obesity Care Week (NOCW), a national campaign aimed to change the way we care about obesity by creating a society that understands, respects and accepts the complexities of obesity and values science-based care. NOCW 2017 is brought to you by The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), The Obesity Society, The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance.

Today, more than 90 million adult Americans are affected by the disease of obesity. For too long, people with obesity have been stigmatized, preventing the effective treatment of the disease. Half of people with obesity report they have never had a conversation about their weight with a healthcare professional (HCP), and only 4 in 10 patients say they have been counseled about their weight by a HCP.

"Novo Nordisk is proud to be a founding Partner of National Obesity Care Week. Together with the obesity community, we are committed to advancing medical management and raising awareness of the unmet needs in obesity through education and advocacy, patient support, and improved access to care. The educational resources developed for patients on TruthaboutWeight.com, as well as healthcare professionals via RethinkObesity.com, are just a few of the ways we are working to improve obesity care for people living with this serious, chronic and progressive disease," said Todd Hobbs, Chief Medical Officer, Novo Nordisk Inc.

The vision of NOCW is to create a society that understands, respects and accepts the complexities of obesity and values science-based care. NOCW will achieve this vision to change the way we care about obesity by:

• Elevating societal awareness of the disease of obesity, those affected by it, its science-based treatment and weight bias
• Building a fact-based understanding of obesity among individuals impacted by the disease, healthcare professionals, medical societies, policy makers, payers, and other stakeholders
• Facilitating a shift to science-based treatments for those living with obesity

In its third year, NOCW seeks to leverage its Take 5 Pledge to engage the public, healthcare providers and policy makers to discover the five reasons why they should care about obesity and why it is important to change the way we care.

"While obesity impacts a majority of Americans, we still face many barriers in accessing care. The reality is that science-based treatment for weight management exists; however, many individuals do not have insurance coverage for these treatments. NOCW supports valuable legislation, such as the 2017 Treat and Reduce Obesity Act, which will help millions of Americans access care. We simply cannot afford to ignore this national health epidemic," said Joe Nadglowski, Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) President and CEO.

The 2017 NOCW would not have been possible without the support of our official NOCW Partners. NOCW would like to recognize all of the valuable Partners of the 2017 NOCW: Diamond – Novo Nordisk; Bronze – Ethicon; Leavitt Risk Partners; Patron – Medtronic and Weight Watchers.

This year's NOCW was also very fortunate to have the support of more than 35 Champion organizations: Founding Champions – The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), The Obesity Society, The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance. Additional Champions include – Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; American Academy of Physician Assistants; American Association of Nurse Practitioners; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; American College of Osteopathic Internists; American College of Preventive Medicine; American Gastroenterological Association; American Medical Group Association; American Medical Women's Association; American Society for Nutrition; American Society for Parental and Enteral Nutrition; Asian Pacific Community in Action; Association of Family Practice PAs and NPs; Bariatric Pal; CHI Memorial's Metabolic and Bariatric Care; ConscienHealth; Council for Diabetes Prevention; Healthcare Leadership Council; European Association for the Study of Obesity; Healthcare Leadership Council; Livliga; LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research; National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians; New York Institute of Technology – College of Osteopathic Medicine; Obesity Care Advocacy Network; Obesity Medicine Association; Osteoarthritis Action Alliance; PCOS Challenge: The National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association; Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity; Society of Behavioral Medicine; Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine; and The Endocrine Society.

"We are extremely grateful for the support of all our Partners and Champions. It will take a nationwide effort to effectively address the disease of obesity. Without our supporters, NOCW would not be possible," said Nadglowski.

If you are interested in learning more about NOCW or want to complete the Take 5 Pledge, please visit www.ObesityCareWeek.org and help change the way we care today!

The Mission of NOCW is to advance an evidence-based understanding of obesity and widespread access to respectful, comprehensive and appropriate care. NOCW 2017 takes place during ObesityWeek(SM) 2017, an international event focused on the basic science, clinical application, surgical intervention and prevention of obesity. Launched in 2015, NOCW is founded by The Obesity Society, the Obesity Action Coalition, Strategies to Overcome and Prevent Obesity Alliance and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

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SOURCE Obesity Action Coalition