Course Description:

Obesity has a dramatic effect on all aspects of health. Over 1/3 of the US population is obese and 60% are overweight. Similar trends are found in other industrialized nations. Given the prevalence of excess body fat, well as the direct and indirect impact it has on the patient conditions that Physical Therapists care for, it is vital that Physical Therapists become essential facilitators in effective weight management.

Unfortunately, health care professionals have not been successful in helping those who struggle with the multi-factorial problem of effective weight management. One of the reasons why is that physical therapists are not typically involved as key facilitators of weight management in the health care system. This missed opportunity is to the detriment of both the individuals who suffer with the consequence of excess body fat, as well as society as whole. The accessibility and broad foundational skill set unique to Physical Therapists optimally matches the criterion for effect weight management. These are among the reasons why Physical Therapists should be serving as front line healthcare providers in addressing the epidemic of excess body fat. To best facilitate this, Physical Therapists, fellow health care professionals, and the general public should be aware of the vital role that they can play in addressing weight management issues. Physical Therapists should also be better equipped with the specific knowledge and skills to facilitate meaningful results in effective weight management.

This course will seek to address these vital problems. Course participants will become more aware of the impact of excess body fat on not only the issues that they commonly treat in practice, such as pain and functional limitation, but upon more broad health concerns affecting mortality and morbidity. Participants will then be taught why Physical Therapists are optimally suited to be front line facilitators of weight management, and to what extent this fit into their scope of practice. Finally, participants will learn the skills and strategies to facilitate effective weight management and how to apply them into the settings in which they commonly practice. As a result, this course will empower Physical Therapists to best help their patients who need proper weight management interventions . In turn, this course will increase the ability of Physical Therapists to deliver meaningful results for their patients and expand their impact on improving the health of our society.