This report summarizes estimates of health impact and cost-effectiveness of obesity in adults, screening and management that were created to assess the relative value of most of the clinical preventive services recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the general population. This ranking of clinical prevention priorities is guided by the National Commission on Prevention Priorities (NCPP).

USPSTF Recommendation: In 2012, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) updated its 2003 recommendation of screening for and management of obesity in adults. The Task Force found adequate evidence that intensive, multi-component behavioral interventions for obese adults can lead to weight loss and improved CVD risk factors and glucose tolerance with small risk for harms (a “B” recommendation). In contrast to the prior recommendation, the 2012 recommendation does not address adults who are overweight. The estimates in this report may not reflect current USPSTF recommendations. Readers are advised to check for updated recommendations at https://uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org and https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/.