Evidence-Based Obesity Guidelines Supported By Dietitians Of Canada
April 27, 2007 – 2:42 pm | posted in Nutrition / Diet, Obesity / Weight LossDietitians of Canada welcomes the release today of comprehensive, evidence-based guidance on obesity prevention and treatment. Obesity Canada, who led the development of the practice guidelines, engaged many experts, including dietitians.
"Health professionals responsible for counseling individuals and their families about weight reduction and prevention of obesity will benefit from these evidence-based approaches," says Dr. Rena Mendelson DSc, RD, member of the Expert Committee and co-author of the chapter on Dietary Intervention for the Treatment of Obesity in Adults. "These practice guidelines are an important tool in supporting efforts in Canada to reduce the prevalence of obesity. They also acknowledge the key role that dietitians play as members of the multi-disciplinary team," continues Mendelson.
Despite the growing number of popular diets that promote weight loss, evidence indicates that no single dietary approach is especially effective. Individualized programs that engage the whole family in the promotion of healthy eating and daily physical activity (30-60 minutes per day) have the most promise for both treatment and prevention of obesity.
These guidelines recommend ongoing follow-up of overweight and obese children by qualified health professionals and a multi-sectoral approach that targets all age groups from infancy to the senior years. The guidelines also under score the importance of enhancing undergraduate training programs and professional continuing education to better address the knowledge, attitudes and skills needed to enable health practitioners, including dietitians, to be more effective counselors and health promoters with respect to obesity prevention and treatment.
Dietitians of Canada’s web-based tool EATracker at http://www.dietitians.ca/eatracker helps older youth and adults assess their current food intake and activity patterns, set goals for improvement and track their progress towards attaining a healthy weight. You can also find a dietitian in your area .
A complete copy of the 2006 Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management and Prevention of Obesity in Adults and Children can be found at http://www.cmaj.ca/pressrelease/pgS1-complete.pdf.
Dietitians of Canada represents 5,500 dietitians across Canada and is committed to promoting the health and well-being of consumers through food and nutrition. For further information on nutrition and healthy eating, visit Dietitians of Canada’s award-winning website at http://www.dietitians.ca. Register to receive regular healthy eating messages from dietitians - food and nutrition information you can trust.
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