A groundbreaking study shows significant racial and ethnic disparities in the use of obesity-management medications, calling for more research and systemic changes to bridge the gap in health care access.
Asians, non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics are significantly less likely than whites to use obesity-management medications to manage their weight, new research shows. These disparities persist even when controlling for socioeconomic factors, insurance coverage and clinical need.
Published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, the study is one of the few to explore the use of obesity-management medications across different racial and ethnic groups and the first to consider the impact of socioeconomic status on these disparities. Dr. Kimberly Narain, a primary care physician, obesity medicine specialist and researcher at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, co-authored the paper with Dr. Christopher Scannell, a primary care physician and researcher at University of Southern California.
“People who are Asian typically develop diseases related to obesity such as Type 2 diabetes at lower levels of obesity than people who are non-Hispanic white,” Narain said in a news release. “Black and Hispanic individuals are more likely to experience obesity, develop diseases related to obesity, and suffer complications from obesity-related diseases than people who are non-Hispanic white.”
The study used data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey spanning 2011-2016, 2018 and 2020, focusing on 91,100 adults eligible for obesity-management drugs. Among this group, 68% were classified as obese, while 32% were overweight with at least one weight-related condition.
The researchers found that Asians were 64% less likely, Blacks 49% less likely and Hispanics 30% less likely than whites to use obesity-management medications, even after accounting for demographics, socioeconomic status, clinical conditions and geographic location.
“Our findings suggest that people with obesity from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds may face barriers to obtaining medications to treat obesity,” Narain added.
Potential barriers identified include lower education levels, inadequate health insurance coverage and cultural differences regarding body image and acceptance of obesity medications. Additionally, variations in how health care providers communicate with patients of different racial and ethnic backgrounds might influence these disparities.
Although the study sheds light on significant disparities, it has limitations. Causality could not be determined, and BMI, a potentially flawed measure among certain groups, was used to determine medication eligibility. Additionally, newer FDA-approved obesity medications were not included in the study.
Narain emphasized the importance of understanding these factors to ensure equitable access to obesity-management medications.
“It will be important to gather information from racially and ethnically diverse individuals regarding their perspectives on using medications to treat obesity,” she added. “We need more investigation into the role of other potential drivers of these differences that we didn’t consider in this study, such as health insurance benefit design.”
The research underscores the urgent need for health care reforms to address these disparities, ensuring everyone has equal opportunities to manage their health effectively.