Provider counseling for weight loss up for arthritis, overweight

(HealthDay)—In 2014, health care provider counseling for weight loss for adults with arthritis and overweight or obesity was 45.5 percent, up 10.4 percent from 2002, according to research published in the May 3 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Dana Guglielmo, M.P.H., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey to estimate changes in the prevalence of provider counseling for weight loss reported by adults with arthritis and overweight or obesity. The Healthy People 2020 target for health care provider counseling for weight loss is 45.3 percent for persons with arthritis and overweight and obesity.

The researchers found that there was a 10.4 percent increase in age-standardized estimates of provider counseling for weight loss from 2002 to 2014 (35.1 to 45.5 percent; P < 0.001).

"Reported receipt of provider counseling for weight loss increased significantly among adults with arthritis and overweight or obesity from 2002 to 2014. Continuing this progress can ensure that the majority of adults in this population receive important messages that can increase their attempts to lose weight," the authors write. "Through combined counseling for weight loss, physical activity, and self-management education, and by making referrals to evidence-based programs, providers can help their patients with arthritis make meaningful improvements in quality-of-life and long-term health outcomes."

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