Shared Decision-Making may Help Align Obesity Treatment Goals with Patient Weight-Loss Expectations

Dr Alankar Tiwari, Consultant Endocrinologist & Diabetologist, President, IAPEN Varanasi Chapter, Varanasi, India

People with obesity preferred weight-loss goals that exceeded the results typically achieved with established nonsurgical treatments, highlighting the value of shared decision-making.

The OBSERVE study, a large survey conducted in the United States, examined weight-loss preferences among adults with obesity and those with overweight and obesity-related complications. Understanding patients' weight-loss goals is important because expectations can influence treatment decisions, motivation, and satisfaction with care.

Researchers aimed to determine how much weight people wanted to lose and whether these preferences varied across different groups. The study analyzed responses from 1,007 participants who reported their current weight and the weight they would consider their dream, goal, happy, acceptable, and disappointed outcomes.

The results showed that participants generally hoped for significant weight loss. Desired weight reduction ranged from a median of 10.3% for an acceptable outcome to 23.5% for a dream outcome. Women reported larger weight-loss goals than men. Black or African American participants generally preferred smaller weight reductions than White participants. Greater desired weight loss was also linked to higher weight self-stigma and Hispanic ethnicity.

The findings suggest that patients often expect greater weight loss than what is typically achieved with many established nonsurgical obesity treatments. The authors noted that understanding individual weight-loss expectations and the factors shaping them may help healthcare professionals engage in more effective shared decision-making and provide more personalized obesity care.

(Reference: Gudzune KA, Kaplan LM, Kahan S, Kumar RB, Dunn JP, Ahmad NN, Poon JL, Sims TJ, Jauregui AK, Balkaran BL, Kan H. Weight-reduction preferences among OBSERVE study participants with obesity or overweight: opportunities for shared decision-making. Endocrine Practice. 2024 Oct 1;30(10):917-26.)