Trust for America’s Health CEO John Auerbach on Its Report Outlining America’s Obesity Epidemic

September 13, 2017
by Aldon Hayes
Conversations on Health

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with John Auerbach, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health, a non-profit dedicated to making sound health policy a national priority. He discusses their recent report on obesity in America, the dramatic cost to the health system caused by the prevalence of obesity, and the need to protect health coverage for millions of Americans in the ongoing health reform discussions.

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Report Shows It’s Time To Change The Picture Of Obesity

September 2, 2017
by Bruce Y. Lee
Forbes

What’s the one picture that jumps into your mind when you think of someone struggling with obesity? Well, whatever you thought of is probably wrong. No, I can’t read your mind…yet. Rather, as the recently-released 14th annual State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) showed, roughly one in three Americans struggle with obesity. Therefore, unless a third of the people around you look exactly the same (if they do, you aren’t paying enough attention to them), the “picture of obesity” is a lot more diverse and complex than is often portrayed.

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The States With The Highest Rates Of Obesity

September 1, 2017
by Niall McCarthy
Forbes

One third of U.S. adults are obese along with one in six children, according to a new reportreleased by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Back in 2000, no state had an obesity rate higher then 25 percent. According to the report, the adult obesity rate in 2016 exceeded 35 percent in five states, 30 percent in 25 states and 25 percent in 46 states, though the trend is starting to stabilize and actually decline in some places. Obesity levels increased in Colorado, Minnesota, Washington and West Virginia and decreased in Kansas, while remaining stable everywhere else.

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West Virginia Has Highest Obesity Rate Among US Adults

August 31, 2017
by John Raby
Associated Press WVA (In U.S. News & World Report)

The report released Thursday by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation analyzed figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and found West Virginia had an obesity rate of 37.7 percent. Mississippi was second at 37.3 percent and Alabama and Arkansas were tied for third at 35.7 percent.

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Chart of the Day: Adult Obesity Rates

August 31, 2017
by Dylan Scott
Vox

Obesity in America in 2016. Obesity remains one of the paramount public health challenges for our country. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for America’s Health have pulled together some new data. While rates remain high, if there is some good news, it appears they are starting to level off. There is a lot of data and info on the new report’s website.

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U.S. Obesity Rate Holding Steady, but Still High

August 31, 2017
by Margaret Farley Steele
HealthDay

In 25 states adult obesity rates exceeded 30 percent this year, and in five states rates topped 35 percent, according to a new report from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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Ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure — stop ignoring preventative care

August 22, 2017
by John Auerbach & Larry Cohen
The Hill

For now, it appears the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Prevention and Public Health Fund will remain intact. This should give policymakers and advocates time to reflect on the proactive steps that should be taken to improve health and reduce costs. And, we are heartened to see there might be a bipartisan group of legislators exploring ways to improve the ACA.

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We’re not prepared for the next public health emergency

August 21, 2017
by JEFF SCHLEGELMILCH AND DARA ALPERT LIEBERMAN
The Hill

From Ebola to Zika to the opioid epidemic, health departments and the healthcare system, now more than ever, must be able to work 24/7 to detect, prevent and contain multiple crises — often at the same time.

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