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Improving Obesity Prevention and Management in Primary Care in Canada

  • Health Services and Programs (AG Tsai, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Obesity is a major risk factor for chronic diseases with significant morbidity, mortality and health care cost. There is concern due to the dramatic increase in overweight and obesity in Canada in the last 20 years. The causes of obesity are multifactorial, with underestimation by patients and healthcare providers of the long-term nature of the condition, and its complexity. Solutions related to prevention and management will require multifaceted strategies involving education, health policy, public health and health systems across the care continuum. We believe that to support such strategies we need to have a strong primary care workforce equipped with appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes to support persons at risk for, or with, obesity. To achieve this end, significant skills building is required to improve primary care obesity prevention and management efforts. This review will first examine the current state, and then will outline how we can improve.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Research Unit, 2-004 Li Ka Shing Ctr, University of Alberta, 87 Ave and 112st, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E1, Canada

    Denise Campbell-Scherer

  2. 1-116 Li Ka Shing Ctr, University of Alberta, 87th Avenue and 112th Street, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E1, Canada

    Arya Mitra Sharma

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  1. Denise Campbell-Scherer
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  2. Arya Mitra Sharma
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Correspondence to Denise Campbell-Scherer.

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Conflict of Interest

Denise Campbell-Scherer declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Arya Mitra Sharma has received compensation from Novo Nordisk for serving on an advisory board and from Takeda for serving on a data safety monitoring board.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Campbell-Scherer, D., Sharma, A.M. Improving Obesity Prevention and Management in Primary Care in Canada. Curr Obes Rep 5, 327–332 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-016-0222-y

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