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. 2025 Nov 4;13(21):2793.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare13212793.

Obesity, Knowledge, and Perceived Risk: Insights from the ObeCare Project Across Italian Territorial Pharmacies

Francesco Ferro Russo  1 , Federica Faccitondo  1 , Vladimiro Grieco  1 , Eugenio Leopardi  2 , Stefania Agrimi  1 , Gian Maria Rossi  1 , Anna Cantarutti  3 , Benedetta Canova  3 , Riccardo Boracchini  3 , Paolo Levantino  1   2
Affiliations

Obesity, Knowledge, and Perceived Risk: Insights from the ObeCare Project Across Italian Territorial Pharmacies

Francesco Ferro Russo et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Obesity is a growing public health concern in Italy, with prevalence reaching 21.6% in 2022, particularly among the elderly. To address this issue, the ObeCare project was implemented to promote obesity prevention and awareness through community pharmacies. This study aimed to evaluate obesity-related knowledge, lifestyle behaviors, and risk perception among participants engaged in the ObeCare project. Methods: A survey was administered to individuals >18 years old across Italian pharmacies involved in the ObeCare initiative by trained pharmacists. A validated questionnaire assessed obesity-related knowledge, risk perception, lifestyle behaviors, demographics, clinical conditions, and Body Mass Index (BMI). A multinomial logistic regression was implemented to identify predictors of overweight and obesity. Results: Obesity was more prevalent among men, older adults, and those with multiple comorbidities. Healthier lifestyle and greater health knowledge were significantly associated with having a normal BMI, whereas low lifestyle scores (OR 13; 95% CI 2.96-57.85) and the presence of multiple comorbidities (OR 14.79; 95% CI 8.00-27.36) were strong predictors of obesity. Individuals with obesity exhibited lower knowledge (OR 1.55; 95% CI 1.02-2.37) and risk perception. Conclusions: This study highlights the significance of lifestyle habits, knowledge, and risk perception, which will be helpful in the prevention and management of obesity. These findings support community-based education and targeted interventions, especially for high-risk groups such as men, retirees, and residents of Southern Italy.

Keywords: lifestyle behaviors; obesity; pharmacist-led intervention; public health education; risk perception.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that this research was conducted without commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflicts of interest. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. We affirm that this manuscript is an honest, accurate, and transparent account of the study being reported; that no important aspects of this study have been omitted; and that any discrepancies from this study as planned (and, if relevant, registered) have been explained. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of any organization or company.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Forest plot representing Odds Ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) for overweight and subjects with obesity, using individuals with normal weight as the reference group. ORs and 95% CI are derived from a multinomial logistic regression model.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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