Boston, MA - The staggering rise of obesity in America has reached a critical tipping point. With almost nearly two thirds of adults and one third of children classified as overweight or obese, the correlating rise in heart disease, diabetes and other related medical issues is expected to grow exponentially. The cost to the healthcare system and the country as a whole for these largely preventable conditions is almost incalculable. To meet this challenge, medical professionals have been identified as a key group that has the ability to reverse the alarming trend through better education and role modeling of healthy behaviors.
US Surgeon General Regina Benjamin was in Boston to promote the need for healthcare professionals to take a lead role in encouraging healthy behavior in their communities. Dr. Benjamin led a group of dozens of physicians, healthcare leaders and professionals and members of the community in a "White Coats, White Sneakers Walk" on the Boston Common.
"Prevention is the foundation of my work as Surgeon General and exercise can be as effective as a pill," said Dr. Benjamin. "We need to be telling people what they can do to be healthy - something people will enjoy doing, such as dancing, playing sports, swimming, or even just taking a walk."
Earlier this year, Dr. Benjamin released "The Surgeon General's Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation?". The program has indentified several key constituencies that can contribute to the start of a solution including the medical community and physicians. This goal fit perfectly with the efforts of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine (ILM) at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Harvard Medical School's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The ILM led by Dr. Eddie M. Phillips has been studying and educating physicians since its founding in 2008 that "Exercise is Medicine" and how to incorporate it into their lives as role models and then prescribe it to their patients.
"Thousands of studies document the general health benefits and stress reduction from regular exercise," says Dr. Phillips. "Once the doctor is more active, they will become more credible role models and their passion to prescribe exercise will increase. Exercise then becomes a powerful medicine for doctors to use with their patients. It is this ripple effect that will fundamentally change the health of our nation. That is our goal."
Participating in the walk were several prominent national and Boston area healthcare leaders such as Discovery Health Chief Medical Correspondent and advisor to the Surgeon General Dr. Pamela Peeke, Mass. Dept. of Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach, Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Boston Public Health Commission Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO, President, Partners HealthCare, Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, President, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and David Storto, President, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network.
"Partners HealthCare is committed to preventing illnesses by tackling tough public health problems like obesity. The Surgeon General's walk is one example of how doctors and other health care providers can work with government to encourage healthy activities and do all we can to improve the lives of children and adults," said Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO, Partners HealthCare.
"The Spaulding Rehabilitation Network is proud to play a role by supporting the Surgeon General's "White Coats, White Sneakers" walk. It's energizing when efforts by our physicians such as Dr. Phillips to educate the public and the healthcare community match up so well with our public leaders like Dr. Benjamin. By all working together, I'm confident we can begin to address the important issue of obesity," David E. Storto, President, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and Partners Continuing Care.
"I applaud the USG's efforts towards a Healthy and Fit Nation. Promoting health and wellness through healthy lifestyles, health conscious diets and daily exercise is an important part of our mission at Brigham and Women's/Faulkner Hospitals," said Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD, President, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Faulkner Hospital.
"Obesity is one of the most pressing public health issues of our time," said John Auerbach, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Public Health. "We must ensure that healthy foods and safe spaces for physical activity are available for all of our state??s residents to enable opportunities for healthy living. Through our Mass in Motion campaign we are working to help all people reach their full potential for health at home, at work and in the community. "
Participants and bystanders were also given ??prescriptions?? detailing four simple ways they could begin to incorporate healthy habits into their lives.
X Get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 times each week
X Eat at least 5-7 fruits and vegetables everyday
X Get the whole family involved
X Be creative and have fun
"The power to change our current trajectory is in our hands. However as healthcare professionals and leaders its incumbent on us to show people the way they can begin to introduce healthy behaviors by adopting them ourselves. To put it simply, exercise truly is the best medicine," said Phillips.
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