Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Dec;22(12):e13334.
doi: 10.1111/obr.13334. Epub 2021 Aug 16.

The lived experience of patients with obesity: A systematic review and qualitative synthesis

Emma Farrell  1 , Eva Hollmann  1 , Carel W le Roux  2 , Marta Bustillo  3 , Joe Nadglowski  4 , Deirdre McGillicuddy  1
Affiliations

The lived experience of patients with obesity: A systematic review and qualitative synthesis

Emma Farrell et al. Obes Rev. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Although the deleterious effects of obesity have been well documented in terms of morbidity and mortality, less is known about what it is like to live with this complex and chronic disease. This study systematically reviewed and synthesized peer-reviewed studies relating to the lived experience of patients with obesity. A total of 12,388 records were screened, resulting in the inclusion of 32 final studies. Meta-ethnographic synthesis of these 32 studies generated five "third-order constructs" or themes: the development of obesity; a life limited; stigma, judgment, shame, and blame; treatment and; experiences of specific or minority groups. These constructs describe, from the patient's perspective, the factors associated with the development and maintenance of obesity; the effects of the disease on their day-to-day lives; the impact of the stigma and judgment many patients are subjected to; and their experience of accessing, or trying to access, treatment for their healthcare needs. This synthesis reveals the dearth of studies that focus solely on the experience of the patient and highlights the tendency for participant-informed, rather than participatory, methods in obesity research. It concludes with a call for further participatory research into the experiences of people living with obesity.

Keywords: obesity; patient experience; qualitative; synthesis.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Wharton S, Lau DCW, Vallis M, et al. Obesity in adults: a clinical practice guideline. Can Med Assoc J. 2020;192(31):E875-E891.
    1. 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(9669):1083-1096.
    1. World Health Organization. Fact Sheet: Obesity and Overweight. Geneva: World Health Organisation; 2020.
    1. Mechanick J, Hurley D, Garvey W. Adiposity-based chronic disease as a new diagnostic term: the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology position statement. Endocr Pract. 2017;23(3):372-378.
    1. Garvey W, Mechanick J. Proposal for a scientifically correct and medically actionable disease classification system (ICD) for obesity. Obesity. 2020;28(3):484-492.

Publication types