What You Should Know:
– The obesity epidemic continues to be a major public health concern, with projections suggesting half of all Americans will struggle with weight issues by 2025. While discussions about weight management solutions often focus on healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies, a new survey series sheds light on the experiences and preferences of consumers directly engaged in weight care.
– The 2024 Rock Health Weight Care Experience Survey Series aimed to understand the weight loss journeys of overweight and obese adults in the United States. Partnering with Evidation, a platform connecting millions of individuals, the survey series engaged over ten thousand participants across eight months.
Key Areas of Exploration:
- Weight Loss Approaches: How are consumers managing their weight?
- Treatment Preferences: What are the preferred methods for accessing weight loss programs?
- GLP-1 Perceptions: What are the main barriers to using GLP-1 injectable medications?
- Combining Strategies: Are consumers open to combining different weight loss approaches?
- Desired Support Systems: What kind of support do consumers seek most in weight management?
Longitudinal Approach Captures Real User Experiences
The survey series employed a longitudinal design, meaning participants were surveyed at multiple points in their weight management journey. This allowed researchers to capture changes in behaviors and activities over time.
Survey Methodology Breakdown:
Three surveys were deployed between October 2023 and May 2024:
- Survey 1: Focused on weight history, goals, and past weight loss methods (150,031 participants).
- Survey 2: Targeted individuals with a history of overweight/obesity and weight loss attempts (31,312 respondents). Explored challenges, care preferences, and in-depth insights into GLP-1s and virtual coaching.
- Survey 3: A subset of Survey 2 participants (10,000) completed this survey, focusing on preferred care settings, combining weight loss approaches, and oral prescription medications (7,800 respondents).
Survey Results: The Consumer Perspective on Weight Management
- Active Weight Loss Pursuit: A significant portion (62%) of respondents consistently reported actively trying to lose weight throughout the surveys.
- Limited Satisfaction: Despite ongoing efforts, only 56% expressed moderate or high satisfaction with available weight loss methods.
- Falling Short of Goals: Over two-thirds (66%) of respondents fell short of their desired weight loss in their most recent attempt.
- Traditional Methods Remain Popular: Exercise (88%) and diet (84%) were the most commonly used methods for weight management.
- Digital Tools Gaining Traction: Three-quarters of respondents reported using weight loss apps like MyFitnessPal or Nutritionix.
- Medication Usage: A significant portion (22%) reported using or having used oral medications, while 11% reported prior or current use of injectable GLP-1 medications.
Consumer Preferences for Treatment Access
Survey 2 explored how consumers approach weight care appointments. In-person settings with a familiar clinician were the most preferred option (58%). Interestingly, familiarity with the provider played a significant role in in-person settings, with only 39% open to seeing a new provider. This highlights the importance of trust in the patient-provider relationship, especially for those who may have experienced negative interactions in medical settings.
When it comes to virtual care, there was no significant difference in openness between new or familiar providers (41% and 40% respectively). This suggests that established provider relationships might not be as critical for virtual weight care.
Interestingly, the survey also found that most virtual coaching for weight loss (81%) happened through platforms like Noom (31%), WW/WeightWatchers (22%), and Omada (11%).
Barriers to GLP-1 Treatment
While ten percent of respondents expressed interest in trying GLP-1s, many reported significant roadblocks. Nearly half (47%) cited medication cost as the top barrier. Even for those who had previously used GLP-1s, high costs often prevented them from continuing treatment (36%).
Insurance coverage adds another layer of complexity. Survey 3 revealed that 41% of respondents who had previously used GLP-1s were denied coverage by their health plans. Additionally, a significant portion of respondents were required to try other weight loss methods before starting GLP-1s (14% by insurers, 25% by clinicians).