POLICY ENGAGEMENT, CALL TO ACTION
Obesity is a chronic disease that can be caused by a combination of factors, including genetics, physical inactivity, excessive caloric intake, medical conditions, insufficient sleep, certain therapeutic drugs like antidepressants, socioeconomic status, stress, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, among others.
Presently, approximately 35% of adults in the United States are living with obesity.
While there is no significant difference in obesity prevalence between men and women, “women are at higher risk for developing obesity-related physical and psychological comorbidities and have a twofold higher mortality risk than overweight men,” studies show.
The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) created the SWHR Policy Agenda: Enacting Change to Improve Outcomes for Women Living with Obesity Across the Lifespan to explore policy needs and opportunities in the health of women living with obesity.
SWHR's latest policy agenda includes insights gained from an interdisciplinary Obesity Policy Working Group of policy professionals, researchers, clinicians, and patient advocates who met in spring 2024.
Midlife represents about 63% of women in the United States, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Yet, health research focused on this critical window for healthy aging interventions in women has been understudied.
SWHR held a congressional briefing titled “Exploring Obesity’s Impact on Women and Policy’s Role in Improving Outcomes” at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington D.C.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes obesity as “a common, serious, and costly chronic disease of adults and children […]
This material was created by the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) and is intended to serve as a public educational and informative resource. This material may be cited or shared on external channels, websites, and blogs, with attribution given to SWHR, or printed and displayed in its original formatted version. SWHR encourages the sharing and reposting of its content in order to spread awareness around women’s health issues. For specific questions about sharing SWHR content, please reach out to [email protected].
This policy agenda is part of SWHR’s Obesity Program, which is supported by an educational grant from Novo Nordisk.