Vivek Murthy was recently confirmed by the United States Senate as the new U.S. Surgeon General. As part of his confirmation, Murthy announced his plan to address the obesity issues facing the United States — a strategy that The Obesity Society (TOS) considers to be very promising for the future of both research and treatment of obesity.
The TOS President, Dr. Nikhil Dhurandhar said in a press release: “We congratulate Dr. Murthy on his confirmation and look forward to working with him to address obesity, one of our nation’s most prevalent public health issues. Today, millions of Americans continue to be denied health insurance coverage for proven obesity treatments, and we hope that during his term Dr. Murthy makes a commitment to improving access to care for those affected by obesity and overweight.”
Estimates point to an average of one in every three Americans being overweight or obese, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention predictions. In the last 20 years, obesity reached dramatic rates in the U.S., since about 35 percent of adults are obese and 17 percent — almost 13 million — of children and adolescents are obese as well (read more).
Back in February 4, 2014 during the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Vivek Murthy expressed his desire to address the epidemic issues regarding obesity that are a concern to public health in the United States. TOS, as a leading organization committed to research, prevention and treatment for obesity, expressed its interest in partnering on these goals and efforts in local communities and nationwide.
TOS’s mission is to “better understand, prevent and treat obesity to improve the lives of those affected through research, education and advocacy,” as stated on the TOS official website.
“We look forward to working with Dr. Murthy to ensure his term leaves a historical mark on obesity research, education and access to care,” emphasized Dr. Dhurandhar.
