Psychologists' role in preventing and treating obesity though the lifespan

APA's Center for Psychology and Health has released two briefing sheets to help psychologists help solve the obesity epidemic in the U.S. The sheets focus on childhood and adolescent obesity (PDF, 1MB) as well as adult obesity (PDF, 92KB), offering direction on how to prevent obesity and treat the one-third of Americans with the disease.

The new briefing sheets build on the efforts of 2012 APA President Suzanne Bennett Johnson, PhD, who focused her work as president on addressing the obesity epidemic. In her columns in the Monitor on Psychology, she urged psychologists to place a greater emphasis on the treatment and prevention of obesity, as well as to help remove the stigma of the disease. Bennett Johnson also presented psychologists Kelly D. Brownell, PhD, and Rena Wing, PhD, with lifetime achievement awards at APA's 2012 convention for their work to help others overcome obesity.

The Center for Psychology and Health's briefing series is collaboratively developed with APA's Interdivisional Healthcare Committee, a coalition of health-oriented divisions within the association.