Pre-Treatment Concerns and Their Association With Functioning and Well-Being During Incretin-Based Therapy: A...

Area of Science:

• Obesity pharmacotherapy
• Patient-reported outcomes
• Psychosocial factors in weight management

Background:

• Incretin-based pharmacotherapies are increasingly used for obesity management.
• Patient experiences and pre-treatment concerns can influence treatment adherence and outcomes.
• Understanding factors associated with functioning and well-being is vital for optimizing obesity care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between prior weight-loss history and pre-treatment concerns.
• To examine how these factors associate with current functioning and well-being in adults on incretin therapy.
• To identify specific concerns that may hinder treatment success.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of 411 adults undergoing incretin-based pharmacotherapy for obesity.
• Assessment of demographics, weight-loss history, barriers, reasons for therapy initiation, and treatment characteristics.
• Utilized the Treatment-Related Impact Measure for Weight (TRIM-Weight) to assess functioning and well-being.
• Employed univariate and multivariable regression models to analyze associations.

Main Results:

• Participants had a median age of 39 years, 79.1% were women, with a median BMI of 36.3 kg/m².
• Most participants (95.1%) had prior weight-loss attempts using various methods.
• Fear of side effects (β = -3.53), cost concerns (β = -0.92), and injection anxiety (β = -0.67) were linked to lower functioning and well-being.
• Doubts about effectiveness showed a small positive association (β = 0.61).

Conclusions:

• Pre-treatment concerns like fear of side effects, cost, and injection anxiety significantly correlate with reduced functioning and well-being in patients on incretin therapy.
• Moral or psychosocial concerns did not show independent associations with functioning and well-being after adjustment.
• Addressing patient-specific fears and practical barriers is essential for enhancing the effectiveness of obesity pharmacotherapy.