Obesity and overweight are two health problems that are getting more common in America.
They can cause other serious illnesses, like high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart problems. That’s why doctors say it’s important to treat these conditions early.
But a new study shows that many people who are obese or overweight aren’t getting the right care. This study was shared at ENDO 2023, a big meeting of doctors who study hormones. This meeting happened in Chicago, Illinois.
Kyrian Ezendu, Ph.D., is a researcher who works with a company called Eli Lilly. He said that it’s important for people who are overweight or obese to take medicine.
These medicines can help them manage their weight, especially if they also have other illnesses caused by obesity or being overweight.
The Study’s Findings
Ezendu and his team looked at information from people’s health records and insurance reports. They studied people who were 18 to 80 years old from 2016 to 2021.
These people were all overweight or obese and could have been given medicine to help them.
There were about 1.6 million to 2.2 million adults in this study each year. But the number of people who were diagnosed as obese or overweight was much lower.
In fact, the percentage of people who were diagnosed went up from 39.4% in 2016 to 57.2% in 2021. But when looking only at insurance reports, the percentage was even lower – from 33.5% in 2016 to 47.3% in 2021.
The numbers were similar for overweight people. The percentage who were diagnosed went up from 18.1% in 2016 to 31.2% in 2021.
But again, the numbers from insurance reports were lower – from 15.4% in 2016 to 29.2% in 2021.
The Problem with Prescriptions
What’s more worrying is that very few people were given prescriptions for medicines to help them manage their weight.
This number was really low, at only 0.4% to 0.5% each year. And even though more people were given prescriptions from 2016 to 2021, it only increased a little bit, from 0.4% to 0.6%.
Two medicines, liraglutide and semaglutide, were used a bit more. The number of people given liraglutide doubled from 2016 to 2021, while the number for semaglutide quadrupled.
A Gap in Care
Ezendu said this study shows a problem in how doctors are treating people who are overweight or obese. He believes that doctors need to diagnose these conditions more often.
This would help them give the right treatment, especially now that there are many medicines approved by the FDA.
In conclusion, the battle against obesity and overweight in America is not over. While new medicines and treatments are being developed, it’s important for doctors to diagnose and treat these conditions early.
Only then can we hope to improve the health and lives of people who are struggling with these health problems.
If you care about weight management, please read studies about diets that could boost your gut health and weight loss, and 10 small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain.
For more information about obesity, please see recent studies about low-carb keto diet could manage obesity effectively and results showing popular weight loss diet linked to heart disease and cancer.
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