Driving Personalized Obesity Care Through Aligned Values and Data
by Dr. Nina Crowley

As a dietitian and health psychologist committed to the whole person’s well-being, I am constantly focused on alignment in mission and values. After working in the field of obesity care for almost 2 decades, I am thrilled to work for a company that shares a dedication to health, improved outcomes, and respect for an individual’s unique health journey.

The Obesity Action Coalition has been working toward helping individuals along their journey toward better health through education, advocacy, awareness, and support for almost 20 years! I am proud to share seca’s commitment to supporting the OAC by giving back 5% of all sales at Obesity Care Conferences this summer and fall to support our joint commitment to deliver more personalized, patient-centered obesity care!

I wanted to share 3 important OAC resources that health providers can share with their patients to support their journey!

OAC’s Regional Your Weight Matters Events

This year, the OAC is hosting FREE, regional, in-person events across the country, to provide education, support, and connection for individual with obesity, their families, and healthcare professionals!

So far these events have been well-received, well-attended, and engaging for people in several parts of the country: California, Indiana, Florida, and South Carolina. Next stops on the tour are: Austin, Texas on 9/21/24 and Boston, Massachusetts on 10/5/24.

Leading healthcare providers speak about these topics:

• Why are we gaining weight & why is it so difficult to lose weight and keep it off?
• Finding An Eating Strategy That Works For YOU
• Managing the Stress without the Calories
• Understanding Your Treatment Options

It’s always so rewarding to talk with people ready to learn, connect and advocate for their health!

OAC Health Talks: Beyond BMI: Understanding Body Composition and Obesity

The OAC produces some great health talks, designed to provide practical answers and insights from experts to empower the community. I was thrilled to have Dr. Angela Fitch join me to discuss body composition and obesity as we are moving the conversation beyond BMI to understand obesity as a chronic disease characterized by excess fat accumulation that impacts health.

We highlight the limitations of BMI as a sole measure, advocating for a more comprehensive assessment of body composition, including fat distribution and its health risks. We outline alternative methods like waist circumference and then get into the details of body composition technologies such as DEXA, BOD POD and BIA (bioelectric impedance analysis), stressing the importance of personalized, patient-centered care in obesity management.

During weight loss, it’s common to lose both fat and muscle mass. However, preserving muscle mass is crucial for long-term health, as muscle mass supports higher metabolic rates and overall strength, which is especially important as we age. Body composition analysis helps track changes in muscle and fat mass, offering a more meaningful health metric than just weight.

BIA devices are available in clinics, gyms, and sometimes as home scales, to monitor changes. However, we caution against over-reliance on home scales due to their potential inaccuracies and the risk of becoming overly fixated on daily fluctuations.

We conclude with a focus on how we suggest patients to talk to their providers about their desire to learn more about their body composition, as part of a true patient-centered approach where individualized care plans focus on improving health and quality of life rather than just reducing weight.

OAC Weight Matters Magazine Article, “All about Body Composition”

I wrote an article recently to help patients understand how the obesity care field has been evolving away from using BMI and weight as the only measures of health. I emphasize the importance of understanding obesity as a chronic, multifactorial disease that demands a patient-centered approach. A recent consensus statement from various professional organizations underscores the necessity of utilizing body composition as a key metric in assessing and treating excess fat accumulation. Recognizing the limitations of BMI, it is crucial for healthcare providers to appreciate the complexity of each individual and design personalized treatment plans that address the unique needs of their patients.

Body composition assessment provides a detailed analysis of fat, muscle, and water in the body, offering valuable insights for creating targeted health plans. With methods like Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA), Air Displacement Plethysmography (Bod Pod), and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), we can accurately measure body composition and better understand health risks associated with obesity. I outline each and what the important considerations are for each method like: size/weight limits, comfortability on/in device, amount of time it takes, clothing required, validation equations, and understanding results.

Each body composition measurement technique has different data points they may show you, but in general you will get feedback about these data points, which I explain in detail: Fat Free Mass (FFM), Lean Body Mass (LBM), Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM), Fat Mass Percentage (FM%), and Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT).

These insights are essential for setting realistic fitness goals, tracking progress, and making informed choices that promote a healthier, more balanced life. I advocate for incorporating body composition assessments into routine care and encourage patients to demand better metrics from their providers for more effective obesity treatment.

SUPPORT the OAC!

I am proud to align my work with organizations like seca and the OAC and that prioritize patient-centered approaches and innovative health solutions. Together, we are advancing the conversation beyond traditional measures like BMI to embrace more comprehensive assessments of body composition, ultimately empowering patients to take charge of their health journey. There is nothing better than hearing a patient say, “Wow, understanding how my numbers are changing and looking at my muscle and body fat instead of just my weight has been such a motivator to keep working on my health!”. By supporting the OAC together, we can create a more inclusive and effective framework for obesity care, one that respects each individual’s unique path to better health.