Trends in Obesity Care Among US Adults, 2010-2021

Obesity is a major contributor to mortality in the United States. Clinical guidelines emphasize the need for multimodal treatment, but novel treatments may be changing care-seeking behavior.

To characterize obesity treatment access patterns and factors associated with obesity care from 2010 to 2021 in the United States.

This multiyear cross-sectional study was conducted using Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data, covering respondents from 2010 to 2021.

We defined individuals with a body mass index ≥30 or those with any health care event linked to a diagnosis of obesity as being clinically eligible for obesity treatment.

The primary outcome was the proportion of individuals assumed eligible for obesity treatment who accessed obesity treatment or were prescribed medication to treat obesity in each calendar year from 2010 to 2021.

The population of individuals eligible for obesity treatment was 82,729. In total, 1311 (1.6%) reported receiving treatment for obesity. The proportion of participants receiving a prescription for obesity increased from 0.3% (0.2%, 0.6%) in 2010 to 1.8% (1.3%, 2.5%) in 2021. Multivariable logistic regression found that female individuals, older individuals, and those with higher levels of education had higher odds of accessing obesity medication or any obesity treatment.

Utilization of pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical obesity treatment has increased from 2010 to 2021 but remains low. The likelihood of receiving treatment was lower for groups with lower socioeconomic status. As more effective obesity therapies become available, efforts should be made to ensure equitable access.