USPSTF Again Recommends Offering Behavioral Interventions to Obese Adults

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, in a draft statement, is recommending that clinicians offer or refer all adults with a body-mass index of 30 or higher to behavior-based interventions for weight loss and weight loss maintenance. The grade B recommendation, a reaffirmation of the group's 2012 advice, emphasizes that such interventions should be intensive and include multiple components, such as dietary changes, physical activity, self-monitoring, and in-person counseling.

The task force says it found adequate evidence that such interventions confer clinically significant improvements in weight status and reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes in those with elevated glucose levels. In addition, the group found adequate evidence that the harms of such interventions are "small to none."

The recommendation is open for public comment on the USPSTF's website until March 19.