Awareness, Care and Treatment in Obesity Management

Obesity ACTION Study in Canada

This study aims to assess barriers that prevent obesity patients from receiving adequate care for their condition. The non-interventional study will be administered in the form of a 30-minute, cross-sectional, online survey to various respondents. There is no experimentation involved in the process of data collection, and each survey poses minimal human risk.

The study will evaluate lifestyle habits and weight management strategies perceived and/or practiced by each of 3 stakeholders in obesity: Patients (People with obesity), Providers, and Employers. A customized survey will be administered to each of the 3 stakeholders, and data will be analyzed based on respondents' answers.

Inclusion criteria

The following inclusion criteria will be imposed for HCPs:

• Practice in Canada
• Spends at least 70% of time in direct patient care
• Seen at least 100 patients in past month
• Seen at least 10 patients in past month needing weight management
• In practice 2-35 years
• Not affiliated with Pharmaceutical, Market Research (MR) or Advertising Firms
• PCP - Physician, RN / NP / LPN, or PA, Dietitians
• PCP - Specialty is FP, IM, GP
• Obesity Specialist - Physician, RN / NP / LPN, or PA
• Obesity Specialist - Specialty is FP, IM, GP, endocrinology, bariatrics, or bariatric surgery
• Obesity Specialist - Currently practice as an obesity medicine or weight loss management specialist

The following inclusion criteria will be imposed for PwOs (people with obesity):

• Age at least 18 years
• Lives in Canada
• Recruitment will target a nationally representative Canada sample. Demographic indicators will be monitored throughout recruitment.
• Current BMI 30 kg/sqm or greater, not extremely fit/body building
• Sub-category - Maintaining weight loss: Lost at least 10% of body weight in the past 3 years and has kept weight off for at least a year
• Sub-category - Treatment Seeking: Has committed to a plan to lose weight, or has successfully lost weight (self-report) or has spoken to an HCP about weight loss plan in the last 6 months.

The following inclusion criteria will be imposed for employers:

• Age at least 18 years
• Works in a Canadian province
• Company offers health insurance
• Responsible for making or influencing decisions about health insurance or health and wellness programs
• Works in a company that has 20 or more employees
• Believes there is a weight issue (attitudinal agreement)
• Not affiliated with Pharmaceutical, Market Research (MR) or Advertising Firms

Exclusion criteria Any respondent who work works for a pharmaceutical, health insurance, research, or advertising company will be excluded; as there may be self-presentation effects that could alter the interview questions.