The association voted on the measure at its annual meeting in Chicago. The AMA noted that obesity rates in the United States have “doubled among adults in the last twenty years and tripled among children in a single generation” and that the World Health Organization, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Internal Revenue Service already recognize the condition as a disease.

Obesity is associated with a variety of diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Rising obesity is expected to increase America’s already high health care costs.

The AMA’s recommendations accompanying the vote included urging physicians and insurance companies to “recognize obesity as a complex disorder,” encouraging national efforts to educate the public “about the health risks of being overweight and obese.”

The AMA also recommended the creation “National Obesity Awareness Month” to highlight the benefits of exercise and to warn of the risks of obesity. Source

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