involved in weight management practice; each team member brings skills and expertise to the team while respecting the boundaries of their scope of practice. Though we recognize obesity as a disease and significant progress has been made to develop interventions to manage health-related risks, payment structures remain barriers to many services. Chapter 19 summarizes current health care policies and payment structures, with insight on how to advocate for enhanced policies. The Health Professional’s Guide to Treatment of Overweight and Obesity is intended
for registered dietitian nutritionists; nutrition and dietetic technicians, registered; diabetes care and education specialists; physicians; nurses; pharmacists; and other allied health professionals. While obesity medicine is now recognized as a specialty practice area, given the prevalence of overweight and obesity, most of us will work with clients with overweight and obesity regardless of our area of practice. Irrespective of where one practices or who one works with, understanding the key concepts about obesity, its assessment, and its management will provide a practice foundation that is crucial for all health professionals.
Hollie A. Raynor, PhD, RD, LDN Linda M. Gigliotti, MS, RDN, CDCES, CSOWM, FAND