{"title":"Leveraging Health Policy Solutions to Address Obesity in Rural America.","authors":"Perisa Ashar, Faraan O Rahim, Huda Haque, Humna Anzaar, Urvish Jain, Shivam Singh, Sandeep Palakodeti","doi":"10.1007/s11606-024-09207-6","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rural America faces an alarming obesity crisis, with residents experiencing significantly higher rates of obesity due to socioeconomic disparities, limited access to healthcare, and structural challenges such as food deserts and insufficient healthcare infrastructure. This perspective addresses these pressing issues by proposing targeted, evidence-based interventions to reduce obesity in rural communities. Our recommendations include (1) increasing the number of multidisciplinary healthcare professionals in rural areas through initiatives such as the Rural Medical Scholars Program, the Rural Community Loan Repayment Program, and the Conrad 30 Waiver Program; (2) expanding coverage for essential obesity services via H.R. 1577, the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act, to alleviate financial barriers to treatment, including intensive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy; and (3) leveraging community-based programs, including the National Rural Obesity and Chronic Disease Initiative, the CDC's High Obesity Program, and the Delta Body and Soul initiative, to improve access to healthy foods and promote physical activity through local collaborations, education, and infrastructure enhancements. By implementing these comprehensive strategies, we aim to make obesity treatments and healthy lifestyle choices more accessible, ultimately reducing obesity rates, improving health outcomes, and enhancing the overall quality of life for rural residents across the USA.</p>","PeriodicalId":15860,"journal":{"name":"Journal of General Internal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of General Internal Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-024-09207-6","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Rural America faces an alarming obesity crisis, with residents experiencing significantly higher rates of obesity due to socioeconomic disparities, limited access to healthcare, and structural challenges such as food deserts and insufficient healthcare infrastructure. This perspective addresses these pressing issues by proposing targeted, evidence-based interventions to reduce obesity in rural communities. Our recommendations include (1) increasing the number of multidisciplinary healthcare professionals in rural areas through initiatives such as the Rural Medical Scholars Program, the Rural Community Loan Repayment Program, and the Conrad 30 Waiver Program; (2) expanding coverage for essential obesity services via H.R. 1577, the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act, to alleviate financial barriers to treatment, including intensive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy; and (3) leveraging community-based programs, including the National Rural Obesity and Chronic Disease Initiative, the CDC's High Obesity Program, and the Delta Body and Soul initiative, to improve access to healthy foods and promote physical activity through local collaborations, education, and infrastructure enhancements. By implementing these comprehensive strategies, we aim to make obesity treatments and healthy lifestyle choices more accessible, ultimately reducing obesity rates, improving health outcomes, and enhancing the overall quality of life for rural residents across the USA.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of General Internal Medicine is the official journal of the Society of General Internal Medicine. It promotes improved patient care, research, and education in primary care, general internal medicine, and hospital medicine. Its articles focus on topics such as clinical medicine, epidemiology, prevention, health care delivery, curriculum development, and numerous other non-traditional themes, in addition to classic clinical research on problems in internal medicine.