Research

Adherence

Obesity is a chronic disease requiring long-term management, and primary care physicians should utilize a tiered referral model (minimal, intermediate, or complete) based on their resources and patient risk to manage it effectively.

If you have obesity, recognize it as a chronic condition requiring long-term management, not a quick fix. Work with your primary care doctor to determine your risk level. If your doctor is not specialized in obesity, ask for a referral to an obesity specialist or a multidisciplinary program that includes behavioral support, dietitians, and possibly medication. Focus on health improvements (like blood pressure or glucose) rather than just the number on the scale.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Obesity is a chronic disease that requires chronic management. We must establish models that allow primary care physicians to participate in the chronic management of obesity... Three general models of obesity management are proposed for the primary care physician, ranging from minimal evaluation to complete evaluation and treatment.
James O. Hill · Obesity Research · 1998

Why this rating

This is a perspective/proposal paper by an expert, not a randomized controlled trial.

Source

Dealing With Obesity as a Chronic Disease

James O. Hill · Obesity Research · 1998

DOI 10.1002/j.1550-8528.1998.tb00686.x

narrative_reviewCited 23×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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