A Tool to Separate the Wheat from the Chaff

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A Tool to Separate the Wheat from the Chaff

• The Voluntary Guidelines for Providers of Weight
  Loss Products or Services

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(No Transcript)
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Mission
To promote sound guidance to the general public
on strategies for achieving and maintaining a
healthy weight.
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Partnership Principles

• Sensible and healthy guidelines
• Obesity is a serious disease with far-reaching
  health implications
• Excess weight is caused by a complex set of
  factors, and must be approached as such
• Sedentary lifestyle is a barrier to healthy
  weight management

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Partnership Principles (contd)

• Calorie balance (calories in versus out)
• Modest weight loss can reduce severity of illness
• Weight management involves lifetime behavior
  modification
• Medical, pharmacological, and surgical
  interventions may be appropriate for some
  seriously obese individuals

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Partnership Principles (contd)

• Consumers are entitled to accurate, reliable, and
  non-deceptive information about weight management
  methods
• The Partnership opposes discrimination, including
  that based on size or weight
• The Partnership does not endorse any particular
  products or programs

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Partnership Materials
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Purpose
To encourage any provider of weight management
services or products to provide accurate,
objective information to consumers so that
consumers can select a safe and effective method.
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Value of Guidelines to Providers

• Good business practice
• Increase trust of consumers/users
• Improve quality of care/treatment

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Subscribing to the Guidelines is strictly
voluntary
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Who Provides the Guidelines?

• Commercial weight loss programs
• Manufacturers of weight loss products and
  medications
• Health professional associations
• Individual professionals

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Extending the Message

• Print media
• Broadcast media
• Advertising agencies
• Public relations agencies
• Other groups