The Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS), along with the Long Island Health Collaborative (LIHC), has adopted an ambitious plan to address obesity in children and adults in Suffolk County. This plan, part of the Suffolk County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), was created in collaboration with community agencies, and based on priorities determined by the newly established LIHC, a collaborative of local hospitals and the Health Departments of Suffolk and Nassau Counties.

More than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC); the prevalence of obesity has risen drastically over several decades¹. Obesity² is related to the development of Type II diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. The medical cost of obesity in the U.S. is estimated at $147 billion 2008 US dollars annually¹.

There is clear evidence that overweight and obesity are associated with an increased risk of developing the following cancers: post-menopausal breast, colorectal, endometrial, esophageal adenocarcinoma, pancreatic, and kidney. There is probable evidence of an association with gallbladder cancer. There is also a possible link to liver, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, cervical, ovarian, and aggressive prostate cancers ³.

One of the objectives contained in the CHIP is to develop and present workshops for allied health professionals on obesity screening, prevention and referrals. In collaboration with the Northport VA Medical Center, a program on obesity prevention has been developed for health care professionals in Suffolk County. The program is designed to provide attendees with:

• Recommendations and guidelines on obesity prevention of professional health care organizations, such as the US Preventive Services Task Force;
• Examples of successful obesity prevention initiatives that have been implemented in various health care settings;
• Evidence-based motivational interviewing techniques to encourage behavior changes in patients;
• Local resources for healthy, active, living in Suffolk County

If you are a nurse, nurse practitioner or physician and would like to attend an obesity prevention workshop,

• ¹ http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
• ² Obesity is defined as a BMI of 30.0kg/m²; overweight is 25.0 to 29.9 kg/m²
• ³ Kushi, et al. "American Cancer Society Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention" CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 2012.