1.g. Consideration of Special Populations and Situations

The panel also evaluated population factors and clinical situations that might potentially influence the physiological, medical, behavioral, or sociocultural context for obesity identification and treatment. Evidence on special populations and situations was captured from non-RCT evidence when available, but in many cases such evidence was meager. Population factors selected for special consideration with respect to obesity classification and treatment were age, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, pregnancy, eating disorders, sleep apnea, extreme obesity, concurrent treatment of other major conditions (such as heart disease or diabetes), and treatment of obesity in conjunction with smoking cessation.  These considerations were addressed in all stages of guidelines development. Persons with relevant special expertise were invited to serve on the panel. The search for evidence was formulated to ascertain studies that include special populations. Studies evaluated were coded to permit analysis of the extent to which the special populations or situations of interest had been included and whether findings for these populations and situations deviated from those for the majority populations in these studies. In the numerous cases where evidence on these special issues was insufficient to meet standards for inclusion in the main text of the guidelines, potentially important issues were identified for the user and cross-referenced to an appendix or discussed in sidebar text.