“What would be left of me?” Patient perspectives on the risks of obesity treatment: An innovative health initiative stratification of obesity phenotypes to optimise future obesity therapy (IMI2 SOPHIA) qualitative study

Abstract

Background

The uptake of obesity treatments remains disproportionally low in people living with the disease, even with the advent and availability of GLP-1 agonists in recent years. Efforts to understand this discrepancy have centred on literature syntheses and Healthcare Professionals’ (HCPs) perspectives on the barriers to obesity treatment. This study focuses on patient perspectives on the risks of obesity treatment.

Method

This qualitative study consisted of online focus groups with 30 adults with obesity from Europe and North America. The focus group discussions were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically.

Results

Patients identified three risks associated with obesity treatment: (a) the risk that they can’t access treatment; (b) the risk that they would fail to meet treatment expectations – their own, their HCPs and societal expectations, and (c) the risk that the treatment would be ‘successful’ but that they would lose their sense of self, their coping mechanisms and identity along with weight.

Conclusion

Understanding patient concerns about the risks of obesity treatment is essential to addressing obesity treatment inertia.