Obesity is a serious, chronic, and progressive disease influenced by many factors3-6
It affects nearly 40%* of the adult population and ~22%† of the adolescent population in the United States, but it is often not treated the same as other chronic conditions.6-8
*Data from NHANES survey for 2021-2023, among adults >20 years old with BMI >30.
†Data from NHANES survey for 2017-2020, among adolescents aged 12-19, with BMI at or above the 95th percentile for age and sex.
METABOLIC ADAPTATION
It takes more than just willpower
Sustained weight management can be difficult due to the natural process of metabolic adaptation, which involves changes in several appetite-regulating hormones.9,10
Obesity and comorbidities
Bring obesity to the forefront
Obesity is associated with at least 60 weight-related comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease, some of which may be improved through weight loss.3,4,11,12
Obesity and CVD risk
The conversation about CVD risks cannot wait
Obesity is associated with coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, and heart failure.13-15
CVD, cardiovascular disease.
ADOLESCENT OBESITY
Adolescent obesity may not be just a phase
Many adolescents with obesity may become adults with obesity. Now is the time to talk about ways to help manage obesity.16,17
Obesity is a serious, chronic, and progressive disease that should be treated as one.3
1. Lee-Baggley D, Fils-Aimé N, Audet I, Baraket M. Improving implementation of best practices in obesity management: physician experiences in obesity care. Clin Obes. 2022;14(1):e12624.
2. Kaplan LM, Golden A, Jinnett K, et al. Perceptions of barriers to effective obesity care: results from the National ACTION Study. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2018;26(1):61-69.
3. Tondt J, Freshwater M, Hurtado Andrade M, et al. Obesity algorithm 2024. Obesity Medicine Association. January 2024. Accessed June 11, 2025. https://obesitymedicine.org/resources/obesity-algorithm/
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult obesity facts. Published May 14, 2024. Accessed June 11, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult-obesity-facts/index.html
5. Ward ZJ, Bleich SN, Cradock AL, et al. Projected U.S. state-level prevalence of adult obesity and severe obesity. N Engl J Med. 2019;381(25):2440-2450.
6. Bray GA, Frühbeck G, Ryan DH, Wilding JP. Management of obesity. Lancet. 2016;387(10031):1947-1956.
7. Emmerich SD, Fryar CD, Stierman B, Ogden CL. Obesity and severe obesity prevalence in adults: United States, August 2021-August 2023. NCHS Data Brief. 2024;(506):1-10.
8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Childhood obesity facts. Updated April 2, 2024. Accessed June 11, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/php/data-research/childhood-obesity-facts.html
9. Sumithran P, Prendergast LA, Delbridge E, et al. Long-term persistence of hormonal adaptations to weight loss. N Engl J Med. 2011;365(17):1597-1604.
10. Lam YY, Ravussin E. Analysis of energy metabolism in humans: a review of methodologies. Mol Metab. 2016;5(11):1057-1071.
11. Ryan DH, Yockey SR. Weight loss and improvement in comorbidity: differences at 5%, 10%, 15%, and over. Curr Obes Rep. 2017;6(2):187-194.
12. Garvey WT, Mechanick JI, Brett EM, et al; Reviewers of the AACE/ACE Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology comprehensive clinical practice guidelines for medical care of patients with obesity. Endocr Pract. 2016;22(suppl 3):1-203.
13. Cohen JB. Hypertension in obesity and the impact of weight loss. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2017;19(10):98.
14. Powell-Wiley TM, Poirier P, Burke LE, et al; American Heart Association Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Clinical Cardiology; Council on Epidemiology and Prevention; and Stroke Council. Obesity and cardiovascular disease: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2021;143(21):e984-e1010.
15. Thomsen M, Nordestgaard BG. Myocardial infarction and ischemic heart disease in overweight and obesity with and without metabolic syndrome. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(1):15-22.
16. Simmonds M, Llewellyn A, Owen CG, Woolacott N. Predicting adult obesity from childhood obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2016;17(2):95-107.
17. Woo JG, Zhang N, Fenchel M, et al. Prediction of adult class II/III obesity from childhood BMI: the i3C consortium. Int J Obes (Lond). 2020;44(5):1164-1172.
