My colleague shared an editorial with me from the June 2010 issue of The Lancet. It really hit home for me based on some things that have happened this week. The editorial comments on the June issue of The Lancet which is a special, diabetes-themed issue. The author notes a “glaring absence” from the issue – there aren’t any lifestyle/behavioral interventions that focus on diabetes prevention or reversal.

So, getting back to my week…I had a brief conversation with a notable physician who has spent many years in research and practice. We were discussing MicroMass’ new behavioral study that sheds light on a “metabolic mindset.” My energy and excitement around our findings was quickly deflated by his commentary on how behavioral interventions don’t work, that there’s no proof that they lead to any sort of measurable and impactful health outcome. Huh? What did I study for 2 years in graduate school? And what have I been so passionate about in my work over the past ten years at MicroMass? Could it be foolery?

I glance over at my health behavior and theory textbook from grad school and reflect on its content. Is it all lies? Then quickly I’m mad because I realize that while the physician has a point, so do I. I have seen evidence that behavioral interventions work. But, is the rigor and volume of the evidence in behavioral intervention research just not enough? And potentially more problematic, does this physician’s viewpoint reflect a broader opinion of the medical community?

I come from a clinical background. I know the value of medicine and I have seen it in action. Science is amazing and the medical research discoveries over the past decade have been amazing. So, why don’t people embrace, advocate and fund behavioral intervention at the same level as medicine? Is it because as a society we ultimately blame “others” for their self-inflicted, lifestyle-related conditions? Yet in the same breath, we grumble about rising healthcare costs and suggest that a large contributor is people who make unhealthy choices.

Regardless, there are plenty of examples, especially in chronic diseases like diabetes, that lifestyle changes and medicine go hand in hand. Patients need both to be successful.

If we expect to make any real change in diabetes or obesity in America, we have to be honest with ourselves. And we can only hope that decision-makers at the policy level can be honest with themselves too.

Tags: Behavioral Insight, Behavioral Science, Diabetes Management, Metabolic Diseases, Obesity Management