Obesity can lead to an increased risk of
heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, cancer,
osteoarthritis and mental health problems, all of which can be
significantly reduced by weight loss. Heart disease in
particular, although often considered a "man's disease", is the
number one killer of women, taking more than forty times the
number of lives than breast cancer every year, despite being
preventable.
Nearly two-thirds of American women are
either clinically "overweight" or "obese". As women are more at
risk for being overweight or obese than men, and women are at
risk for gaining weight as they age, postmenopausal women are a
particularly vulnerable population.
"Postmenopausal women stand at a crossroad,
facing the possibility of living the remainder of their lives in
essentially good health or facing the probable onset of chronic
diseases that might have been prevented," says author Karen E.
Dennis. "By first understanding the health consequences of being
overweight, nurses have a unique opportunity to work with women
of all ages fighting obesity."