New US Study Reveals Key Reasons why Millions of People with Obesity are not Receiving Adequate Care

PR70793

WASHINGTON, Oct.. 31, 2017 / PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ -

    - Despite increasing recognition of obesity as a disease, many barriers

                    to effective care remain

    Few of the more than 90 million Americans with obesity are seeking and

receiving long-term obesity care, according to new data from the Awareness,

Care and Treatment In Obesity Management (ACTION) Study published today in

Obesity,[2] the official journal of The Obesity Society. Among the notable

findings is that of the 71% of people with obesity who say they have spoken

with a healthcare professional (HCP) about their weight in the past 5 years,

only 55% report having been given a diagnosis of obesity and less than a

quarter (24%) were offered follow-up care for this disease.[2] ACTION data will

be presented through poster and symposia forums at ObesityWeek, currently in

progress in Washington DC.

    Designed to identify key barriers to care from the perspective of people

with obesity, HCPs and employers, the results of the ACTION Study, according to

multi-disciplinary steering committee members who led the initiative, can guide

collaborative action to improve care, education and support for those who live

with obesity.

    "We in the healthcare community must ask why this epidemic is not being

diagnosed and treated with the same urgency and focus as any other serious

diseases?" said Dr Lee Kaplan, director of the Obesity, Metabolism and

Nutrition Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital, ACTION steering

committee member and lead author of the study. "We need to fundamentally

rethink obesity so that the public and healthcare community understand more

about the biology, chronicity and overall health impact of this disease. Real

progress can be achieved if we can overcome the entrenched mindsets that

generate the barriers revealed by this study."

    Conducted with more than 3,500 participants spanning all three target

groups, the ACTION Study reveals five key barriers to comprehensive care:

    - people with obesity engage in several serious weight loss attempts but

      only a few are able to maintain the achieved weight loss;

    - despite recognition of obesity as a disease, most people with obesity

      consider weight loss to be completely their own responsibility, which

      may prevent them from seeking help from their HCP;

    - nearly half of people with obesity have not been given a formal

      diagnosis of obesity;

    - the patient-provider dialogue about weight management is insufficient

      with limited follow-up; and

    - employer wellness programmes are not meeting the needs of people with

      obesity.

    "The barriers identified in the study highlight opportunities to bridge

gaps in understanding to facilitate true collaboration among all stakeholders,"

said study co-author and ACTION steering committee member Dr Angela Golden,

owner of a specialty obesity practice in Arizona. "Only by bridging these gaps

will obesity care become integral to standard practice, whether in a healthcare

or employment setting, and people with obesity will have the care and support

needed to effectively treat their obesity."

    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, psychology 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[3],[4] that requires long-term management. It is

associated with many serious health consequences and decreased life

expectancy.[5],[6] Obesity-related comorbidities include type 2 diabetes, heart

disease, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and certain types of cancer.[5],[7],[8]

It is a complex and multi-factorial disease that is influenced by

physiological, psychological, environmental, socio-economic and genetic

factors.[9]

    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.[10]

    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 41,400 people in

77 countries and markets its products in more than 165 countries. For more

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

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

[http://www.twitter.com/novonordisk ], LinkedIn

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

[http://www.youtube.com/novonordisk ]

    References

    1. Obesity and Overweight. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Available at:

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obesity-overweight.htm. Last accessed: October

2017.

    2. Kaplan L, Golden A, Jinnett K, et al. Perceptions of Barriers to

Effective Obesity Care: Results from the National ACTION Study. Obesity.

2017;DOI:10.1002/oby.22054.

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

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

http://news.cision.com/american-medical-association/r/ama-adopts-new-policies-on-second-day-of-voting-at-annual-meeting,c9430649

. Last accessed: October 2017.  

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

http://www.who.int/iris/handle/10665/42330. Last accessed: October 2017.

    5. 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;9:1-20.

    6. 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.

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

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

    8. 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.

    9. Wright SM, Aronne LJ. Causes of obesity. Abdominal Imaging.

2012;37:730-732.

    10. World Health Organization. Obesity and Overweight Factsheet no. 311.

Available at:

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

2017.

    Further information

    Media:

    Katrine Sperling +45-4442-6718 krsp@novonordisk.com  

    Ken Inchausti (US) +1-609-786-8316 kiau@novonordisk.com  

    Investors:  

    Peter Hugreffe Ankersen +45-3075-9085 phak@novonordisk.com  

    Hanna Ögren +45-3079-8519 haoe@novonordisk.com  

    Anders Mikkelsen +45-3079-4461 armk@novonordisk.com  

    Christina Kjaer +45-3079-3009 cnje@novonordisk.com  

    Kasper Veje (US) +1-609-235-8567 kpvj@novonordisk.com   

SOURCE: Novo Nordisk