New Study Showed That Only 55% of People With Obesity Have Received a Formal Obesity Diagnosis

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NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

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Abstract #T-P-3178, oral session #T-OR-2088

US study identified multiple barriers to weight management for people living

with obesity

Divergent perceptions and attitudes about obesity may jeopardise obesity

management outcomes, according to findings from the Awareness, Care & Treatment

In Obesity Management (ACTION) study. The findings were presented at Obesity

Week 2016, the fourth annual combined congress of the American Society for

Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and The Obesity Society.

ACTION is the first national study to investigate barriers to effective obesity

management from the perspective of people with obesity, healthcare

professionals (HCPs) and employers in the US. The study was designed to

generate insights to improve obesity care, education and support for the nearly

79 million people in the US living with obesity, a condition that was

recognised as a chronic disease by the American Medical Association in 2013.1,2

"Obesity must be understood as a serious, often progressive disease requiring

both prevention and treatment strategies to bring it under control" said Dr Lee

Kaplan, director of the Obesity, Metabolism and Nutrition Institute at

Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center and ACTION steering committee

member. "The value of the ACTION study is that it clearly identifies the

challenges that must be overcome, and underscores the critical need for

multiple communities working together to develop and implement effective

solutions."

One such challenge, according to study findings, is that most people with

obesity (PwO) (65%) perceived obesity as a disease; however, most (82%)

considered weight loss to be "completely" their responsibility. While PwO (73%)

reported that they had discussed weight with an HCP, 36% indicated they did not

seek support from their HCP for weight loss.3

Another significant barrier to care revealed by the study was an inconsistent

HCP-patient dialogue about weight management. Although HCPs (72%) felt they had

"a responsibility to actively contribute" to patients' weight loss efforts,

only 55% of PwO reported receiving an obesity diagnosis from an HCP. Also, only

16% of PwO reported having a follow-up appointment with their HCP following

initial conversations about obesity management, and whereas HCPs said they were

"comfortable" having obesity management conversations, their efforts were often

deprioritised due to limited time.4

The study also found that despite several "serious" weight loss attempts, only

23% of PwO reported a 10% weight loss during the past three years, and of

those, 44% maintained weight loss for more than one year.4

These data suggest that initiatives which foster greater understanding among

HCPs of their patients' beliefs, and facilitate more robust dialogue about

weight management, could positively impact obesity management efforts.3,4

About ACTION

The "Awareness, Care and Treatment In Obesity Management" (ACTION) study is the

first US nationwide study to investigate barriers to obesity management from

the perspective of people with obesity, healthcare professionals and employers.

In addition, the study aims to generate insights to guide collaborative action

to improve obesity care, education and support. Sponsored by Novo Nordisk, the

ACTION study was led by a multi-disciplinary steering committee comprised of

representatives from The Obesity Society, the Obesity Action Coalition, and the

Integrated Benefits Institute, as well as obesity experts in the fields of

primary care, endocrinology, physiology and nursing. The study involved more

than 3,000 people with obesity, 600 healthcare professionals and 150 employers

in the United States. To learn more about the study, please visit

http://www.ACTIONStudy.com.

About obesity

Obesity is a disease that requires long-term management.2,5 It is associated

with many serious health consequences and decreased life-expectancy.6,7

Obesity-related comorbidities include type 2 diabetes, heart disease,

obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and certain types of cancer.6,8,9 It is a

complex and multi-factorial disease that is influenced by physiological,

psychological, environmental, socio-economic and genetic factors.10

The global increase in the prevalence of obesity is a public health issue that

has severe cost implications to healthcare systems. In 2014, 13% of adults, or

approximately 600 million adults, were living with obesity.11

About Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with more than 90 years of

innovation and leadership in diabetes care. This heritage has given us

experience and capabilities that also enable us to help people defeat other

serious chronic conditions: haemophilia, growth disorders and obesity.

Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs approximately 42,600 people in

75 countries and markets its products in more than 180 countries. For more

information, visit novonordisk.com [http://www.novonordisk.com/], Facebook

[https://www.facebook.com/novonordisk], Twitter

[https://mobile.twitter.com/novonordisk], LinkedIn

[https://www.linkedin.com/company/novo-nordisk], YouTube

[https://www.youtube.com/user/novonordisk/custom]  

Further information

Media:

Katrine Sperling

+45-4442-6718

krsp@novonordisk.com

Asa Josefsson

+45-3079-7708

aajf@novonordisk.com

Investors:

Peter Hugreffe Ankersen

+45-3075-9085

phak@novonordisk.com

Melanie Raouzeos

+45-3075-3479

mrz@novonordisk.com

Hanna Ogren

+45-3075-8519

haoe@novonordisk.com

Anders Mikkelsen

+45-3079-4461

armk@novonordisk.com

Kasper Veje (US)

+1-609-235-8567

kpvj@novonordisk.com

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult Obesity Facts. Available

at: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html. Last accessed: October 2016.

2. American Medical Association. A.M.A Adopts New Policies on Second Day of

Voting at Annual Meeting. Obesity as a Disease. Available at:

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/news/news/2013/2013-06-18-new-ama-policies-annual-meeting.page.

Last accessed: October 2016.

3. Golden A, Dhurandhar NV, Jinnett K, et al. Insights and Perceptions of

Obesity Management in People with Obesity: Results from a National Study.

ObesityWeek. 2016.

4. Kaplan LM, Golden A, Jinnett K, et al. Divergence in Perceptions and

Attitudes among People with Obesity, Healthcare Professionals, and Employers

create Barriers to Effective Obesity Management: Results of the National ACTION

Study. ObesityWeek. 2016.

5. WHO. Obesity: Preventing and managing the global epidemic. Available at:

http://www.who.int/iris/handle/10665/42330. Last accessed: October 2016.

6. Guh DP, Zhang W, Bansback N, et al. The incidence of co-morbidities related

to obesity and overweight: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public

Health. 2009; 25:88.

7. Peeters A, Barendregt JJ, Willekens F, et al. Obesity in adulthood and its

consequences for life expectancy: a life-table analysis. Annals of Internal

Medicine. 2003; 138:24-32.

8. Gami AS, Caples SM, Somers VK. Obesity and obstructive sleep apnea.

Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America. 2003; 32:869-894.

9. Whitlock G, Lewington S, Sherliker P, et al. Body-mass index and

cause-specific mortality in 900 000 adults: collaborative analyses of 57

prospective studies. Lancet. 2009; 373:1083-1096.

10. Wright SM, Aronne LJ. Causes of obesity. Abdominal Imaging. 2012;

37:730-732.

11. WHO. Obesity and Overweight Factsheet no. 311. Available at:

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/. Last accessed: October

2016.

SOURCE: Novo Nordisk