Retrospective descriptive analysis of a managed care population with obesity

Objectives To reveal the extent of obesity in a single healthcare system and provide a blueprint for other health systems to perform similar analyses, this study describes characteristics and weight change patterns of patients classified with overweight and obesity at a large integrated delivery network (IDN) in the South-Central United States. Methods A descriptive, observational, retrospective study was conducted using electronic medical records and claims data. Patients were >= 18 years old, body mass index (BMI) >= 27 kg/m(2), and continuously enrolled in the IDN plan for >= 6 months before and >= 12 months after the index date. Demographics, comorbidities, BMI, and weight were collected. Weight changes were assessed annually, and anti-obesity medications (AOM) use was also captured. Results A total of 36,430 eligible patients were identified. A subset of 22,712 patients was continuously enrolled for the entire study period (mean age: 57.2) and were primarily white (83.3%) and commercially insured (54.3%). Most patients were categorized as overweight (40.1%) or obesity class I (32.5%) at baseline. At years 1 and 4 post-index, patients who maintained index weight (+/- 3%) was 56.2% and 37.0%, respectively, whereas weight gain (>= 3% increase) was 23.7% and 33.3%, respectively. AOM use (1.1%) primarily consisted of phentermine-hydrochloride (n = 114, 0.5%) and orlistat (n = 115, 0.5%). Conclusions An increasing proportion of patients gained weight over time, combined with low AOM use, emphasizing the need for weight-loss interventions in this population. Findings from this study provide a foundation for health systems to perform similar analyses.

Automated summary

This study investigated the characteristics and weight change patterns of overweight and obese patients within a healthcare system, revealing an increasing proportion of patients gaining weight over time combined with low usage of anti-obesity medications.