title: Risk factor medicalization, hubris, and the obesity disease.
abstract: The essays on obesity in this issue frequently refer to the recent American Medical Association (AMA) declaration of obesity as a disease. In response to these essays, I describe and explore the significance of 'risk-factor medicalization' and how negative unintended consequences with this approach to disease modeling are exemplified in many of the essays. I also relate the essays' content to the issue of physician hubris in the face of their own helplessness in aiding the obese patient.
authors.forename: John Z
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Sadler
mesh_terms: D000574:American Medical Association; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D062528:Medicalization; D028681:Moral Obligations; D033262:Narration; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000941:ethics; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012941:Social Responsibility; D014481:United States