PD604 - PATIENT PERSPECTIVES ON OBESITY HEALTHCARE IN GERMANY: RESULTS OF A REPRESENTATIVE ONLINE SURVEY

PD604

PATIENT PERSPECTIVES ON OBESITY HEALTHCARE IN GERMANY: RESULTS OF A REPRESENTATIVE ONLINE SURVEY

K. Gemesi^1,*, C. Holzapfel^1,2, H. Hauner^1,3

¹Institute for Clinical Nutritional Medicine, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, ²Department of Nutritional, Food and Consumer Sciences, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Fulda, ³Else Kröner-Fresenius-Center of Nutritional Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany

Rationale: Clinical guidelines recommend evidence-based obesity therapy approaches, but access remains limited. There is insufficient understanding of how individuals with obesity perceive healthcare services and how they evaluate existing treatment options.

Methods: To assess attitudes toward and acceptance of current obesity treatments, a representative online survey was conducted in October 2024 among adults with obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30.0 kg/m²) residing in Germany. The questionnaire addressed sociodemographic characteristics, perceived burden of obesity, experiences of discrimination, and weight loss history (attempts, used strategies, and outcomes). Data were weighted to reflect the German adult population. Statistical analyses included descriptive methods, chi-squared tests, and multiple logistic regression models.

Results: A total of 1,004 adults with obesity participated (51 % female, BMI = 35 ± 5 kg/m², age = 50 ± 17 years). Overall, 78 % of participants (787/1,004) reported feeling moderately/severely burdened by their body weight, while 37 % (361/966) indicated having experienced disadvantage or discrimination due to their weight with significant differences across gender, age groups, BMI categories, and educational levels (most p < 0.05). Most participants (90 %, 865/964) reported at least one prior weight loss attempt. However, more than 90 % of the participants had not used evidence-based treatment options, including pharmacotherapy, reimbursable digital behavioral interventions, or bariatric surgery.

Conclusion: Findings highlight a gap between guideline recommendations for obesity treatment and real-world obesity care. Public education and improved health communication are needed to increase awareness and uptake of evidence-based obesity treatment approaches.

Disclosure of Interest: K. Gemesi: None declared, C. Holzapfel Consultant for: 4sigma GmbH (Oberhaching, Germany), Speakers Bureau of: Novo Nordisk Pharma GmbH and Eli Lilly GmbH, H. Hauner Consultant for: Oviva AG (Potsdam, Germany), Speakers Bureau of: Oviva AG and Novo Nordisk Pharma GmbH