QUESTION 11
What is your impression of the obesity epidemic that is sweeping this nation? As a healthcare professional, do you believe that the CDC is right to call it an epidemic? Why or why not?
In 2011, the National Institutes of Health recommended that all children between the ages of nine and eleven undergo a lipid screening followed by a “comprehensive scheme for further evaluation and treatment.” (Gillman and Daniels 2012) Even though this was the official recommendation of the NIH’s expert panel, its members were somewhat divided over whether or not lipid screening is necessary for all children. Based on the information that we covered this week, along with your personal experiences as a medical professional, do you agree with the NIH’s recommendation? Why or why not? What are some of the implications of this kind of practice?

Question 2
Gillman, M. and S. Daniels. 2012. Is universal pediatric lipid screening justified? Journal of the American Medical Association. 307(3). 259-260.
Many popular fad diet plans fail to result in long-term, healthful weight changes. Please describe the characteristics of fad diets and explain why they so often fail. Then, give some practical and specific suggestions that might help a person achieve weightloss in a healthful way.

QUESTION 4
In 2013, the American Medical Association voted to officially recognize obesity as a disease (AMA 2013). This was a highly controversial decision, but the American College of Cardiology and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration both followed suit in 2014. Do you agree with the AMA’s position? Should obesity be considered a disease? Why or why not?

AMA. 2013. Recognition of obesity as a disease. Resolution: 420(A-13). American Medical Association House of Delegates, D. Martin, MD, Chair. Available at http://www.npr.org/documents/2013/jun/ama-resolution-obesity.pdf
QUESTION5
Define wellness and describe how nutrition and physical activity can affect a person’s wellness status.
QUESTION 6
Please define the government’s AMDR system, and then give the recommended ranges for each macronutrient. Also, what is the significance of this system as it relates to maintaining a healthy weight?
QUESTION 7
Consider a hypothetical individual with the following vital statistics.

Age – 35 years

Height – 5’10”

Weight – 207lbs

Gender – male

Activity level – somewhat active

Waist – 39″
Using the following website, Mayo Clinic Calorie Counter please estimate the caloric intake (in kCal/day) necessary to maintain his current body weight. What is that caloric intake?
QUESTION 8
Using the information given in the DGA and the equation given below, please calculate the BMI for the individual from the previous question. What is that value?
BMI = [wgt(lbs) / hgt (inches)2] * 703
QUESTION9
According the categories listed in the DGA, what is that individual’s current weight status? (See questions seven and eight.)
QUESTION10
Using the information gathered in the previous three questions, along with following website: NHLBI Risk Assessment, what is this individual’s current risk for type II diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease?
QUESTION11
One of the objectives of this course is for you to be able to evaluate sources of information, whether they are in the form of websites, scientific articles, advertisements, etc. Please name the organizations that are responsible for the websites that we used to answer the previous questions. Are these reputable sources? Why or why not?
QUESTION12