Better Care Models Needed for Young Adults With Obesity

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Obesity drugs were not utilized often in young adults and adolescents despite high complication rates, prompting researchers to call for chronic, holistic care.

Authors of an abstract presented at the American Diabetes Association’s 85th Scientific Sessions called for a holistic, chronic treatment model to support children and young adults with obesity.

To broaden the understanding of treatment patterns, the researchers investigated the prevalence of obesity-related complications and the use of obesity medication among young patients in the United States.

“Obesity in children and young adults is associated with the early development of several obesity-related complications,” wrote Theresa Hunter Gibble, PhD, and colleagues. “Guidelines recommend treating obesity with medications and lifestyle changes.”

The retrospective analysis incorporated data from Optum MarketClarity claims and electronic medical records. The data spanned from January 2019 to March 2024. People were eligible for inclusion if they were between 6-25 years of age, had an obesity diagnosis or BMI ≥30 kg/m², or had BMI in the 95th percentile or greater for age and gender (only applicable to patients between 6-17 years of age), and had uninterrupted medical and pharmacy coverage throughout the study period.

“The population was stratified into three cohorts: children (aged 6-11 years), adolescents (aged 12-17 years), and young adults (aged 18-25 years), for descriptive analyses,” Dr. Gibble and colleagues noted.

The study included 2,333 children, 6,097 adolescents, and 11,648 young adults. Female patients comprised a greater proportion of young adults (71.5%) compared with children (48.5%) and adolescents (52.9%).

In 2024, obesity medications were prescribed for 1.5% of adolescents and 5.7% of young adults. The study authors found that GLP-1 receptor agonists, which are not approved for use in children, were the most prescribed class of medications.

Regarding obesity-related complications, asthma was significantly prevalent across all age groups, affecting 21.2% of children, 17.2% of adolescents, and 15.7% of young adults.

Among adolescents and young adults, obesity medication recipients were at least twice as likely to have complications like metabolic syndrome, prediabetes, PCOS, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis compared with those not receiving medication.

The study authors concluded that obesity medication use remains low in younger patients despite the high prevalence of obesity.

“The findings underscore the need for a holistic, chronic treatment model for children and young adults with obesity,” the researchers said.