Perceptions, Attitudes, and Barriers to Obesity Management in Spain: Results from the Spanish Cohort of the International ACTION-IO Observation Study.

Javier Salvador,Miguel Ángel Rubio,Miguel Ángel Rubio,Miguel Ángel Rubio,Nuria Vilarrasa,Francisco Poyato

doi:10.3390/jcm9092834

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity is rapidly rising in Spain. The Awareness, Care and Treatment in Obesity Management—An International Observation (ACTION-IO) study (NCT03584191) was an international cross-sectional survey conducted to identify the perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and barriers to obesity management for people with obesity (PwO) and healthcare professionals (HCPs); results from Spain are presented. In Spain, 1500 PwO (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 based on self-reported height and weight) and 306 HCPs (in direct patient care for ≥2 years) completed the survey. Fewer PwO (59%) than HCPs (93%) agreed that obesity is a chronic disease. Most PwO (80%) assumed complete responsibility for their own weight loss, whilst 19% of HCPs placed the responsibility on PwO. One-fifth of PwO stated they began struggling with weight before age 15. The mean delay in discussing weight for the first time with an HCP was 6 years. Only 24% of HCPs thought their patients were motivated to lose weight, whilst 45% of PwO reported being motivated. Of the 67% of PwO who had discussed their weight with an HCP in the last 5 years, 66% had been formally diagnosed with obesity. Our Spanish dataset reveals discrepancies in the perceptions and attitudes between PwO and HCPs, thus highlighting the need to improve education about obesity and its clinical management.

Highlights

The current obesity pandemic is among the main challenges for public health due to its impact on early morbidity and mortality and linked associated comorbidities [1,2]
The main objective of this paper is to present the results obtained from the Spanish population, highlighting the similarities and differences with respect to the global results from all participating countries, in order to establish specific strategies to optimize the treatment of obesity in Spain
The methodology for the ACTION-IO study has been reported previously [24]. It was a cross-sectional, non-interventional, descriptive study that collected data via an online survey of people with obesity (PwO) and healthcare professionals (HCPs) conducted in 11 countries: Australia, Chile, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United Kingdom (UK)

Summary

Introduction

The current obesity pandemic is among the main challenges for public health due to its impact on early morbidity and mortality and linked associated comorbidities [1,2]. Visceral and ectopic fat, represent independent predictive factors of major acute cardiovascular events and mortality [3]. Obesity reduces the patient quality of life and is a major burden on healthcare and healthcare system expenses [4]. The prevalence of obesity in Spain is 22.9% and 39.4% of individuals are considered overweight [7], with an upward trend predicted in the coming years, as seen in other Western countries [8]. If the current trend continues in Spain, it has been estimated that the number of patients with excess weight will increase by 16% by 2030, leading to 3.1 billion EUR per year of extra direct medical costs [9]

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