Premium
The health at any size paradigm for obesity treatment: the scientific evidence
Author(s) -
Miller W. C.,
Jacob A. V.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
obesity reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.845
H-Index - 162
eISSN - 1467-789X
pISSN - 1467-7881
DOI - 10.1046/j.1467-789x.2001.00023.x
Subject(s) - obesity , foundation (evidence) , medicine , weight loss , scientific evidence , alternative medicine , scientific literature , gerontology , endocrinology , pathology , epistemology , political science , law , paleontology , philosophy , biology
Summary Traditional weight loss (TWL) treatments have been unsuccessful at reducing the prevalence of obesity in the population. Health‐care professionals and consumers have criticized TWL treatments as being detrimental to the obese person's health. Consequently, an alternative approach to obesity treatment, the health at any size (H@AS) paradigm, has been proposed. The H@AS paradigm is based on the philosophy that once diet restrictions and barriers to activity have been removed, the individual will develop healthier eating and activity patterns that lead to a naturally healthy body weight. This paper reviews the philosophical foundation and the scientific data that support and oppose the H@AS paradigm and compares it with that of TWL treatments.