Obese and Pregnant

“How sad and frightening that our health care system is willing to invest in ‘longer surgical instruments, more sophisticated fetal testing machines and bigger beds’ and even bariatric surgery for the one in five women who are obese when they become pregnant. These women do not become obese overnight, but do so because of many years of poor eating habits, limited fresh fruits and vegetables and little or no physical activity. With estimated costs of more than $200,000 to deliver and care for just the one obese motherfeatured in the article and her baby, how can our health care system not be paying for preventive services long before these women become both obese and pregnant? Nutritionists, health and wellness coaches, personal trainers and the like must be used to their fullest potential in our health care system if we are ever going to make an impact on the raging obesity epidemic in this country. Particularly, with regard to women of childbearing years, millions of dollars could be saved if we called upon the services of the allied health professionals and helped women to eat right and exercise before it is too late.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/opinion/lweb13obesity.html