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. 2023 Aug;47(8):750-757.
doi: 10.1038/s41366-023-01325-1. Epub 2023 May 31.

Obesity-related complications, healthcare resource use and weight loss strategies in six European countries: the RESOURCE survey

Marc Evans  1 , Joanna de Courcy  2 , Elisabeth de Laguiche  3 , Mads Faurby  3 , Christiane Lundegaard Haase  3 , Kasper Sommer Matthiessen  3 , Adam Moore  2 , Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard  4   5
Affiliations

Obesity-related complications, healthcare resource use and weight loss strategies in six European countries: the RESOURCE survey

Marc Evans et al. Int J Obes (Lond). 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Obesity-related complications (ORCs), such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease, contribute considerably to the clinical and economic impacts of obesity. To obtain a holistic overview of health and weight management attempts for people with obesity in Europe, we designed the cross-sectional RESOURCE survey to collect data on comorbidities, healthcare resource use (HCRU) and weight loss strategies from people with obesity in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

Methods: Adults (≥18 years old) with self-reported body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 who reported interacting with primary or secondary healthcare services in the past 12 months, but had not been pregnant during this time, were recruited from an existing consumer research panel. All data were self-reported via an online survey (May-June 2021). Weight changes over the past year were calculated from participants' estimated weights.

Results: Of the 1850 participants in the survey, 26.3% reported that they had ≥3 ORCs from a set of 15 conditions of interest. The most frequently reported ORCs were hypertension (39.3% of participants), dyslipidaemia (22.8%) and T2D (17.5%). Participants in obesity class III (BMI 40 to <70 kg/m2) were more likely to report multiple ORCs than those in lower obesity classes. The presence of multiple ORCs was linked to various types of HCRU, including a significantly increased chance of reporting hospitalization in the past year. Most participants (78.6%) had attempted to lose weight in the past year, but of those who also reported estimated weight changes, 73.4% had not experienced clinically meaningful weight loss of ≥5%.

Conclusions: ORCs are common in people with obesity, and are linked to increased HCRU. Together with the low reported success rate of weight loss attempts, this highlights an unmet need in Europe for enhanced weight management support for people with obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

ME has received fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim and Novo Nordisk. JdC and AM are employees of Adelphi, which received consulting fees from Novo Nordisk A/S to perform this analysis. EdL, MF, CLH and KSM are employees of Novo Nordisk A/S. JP-S is partner and Head of Health Analytics at Lane Clark & Peacock LLP and Chair-elect of the Royal Society for Public Health, and reports personal fees from Novo Nordisk A/S and Pfizer Ltd outside of the submitted work.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. ORCs reported in the RESOURCE survey.
a obesity class and b number of ORCs. ASCVD, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; CKD, chronic kidney disease; GERD, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease; ORC, obesity-related complication; PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Weight loss strategies reported by survey participants.
Digital health application refers to an application specifically for weight management. Alternative treatments include dietary supplements or herbal products. Weight loss service refers to both commercial services and programmes provided by the national health service.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Estimated proportions of participants reporting use of a weight loss strategy who achieved clinically meaningful weight loss.
a ≥5% and b ≥10%. Reported weight loss strategies are not mutually exclusive.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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