Obesity Canada's Report Card on ACTION: Barriers To Obesity Care In Canada

In follow up to my recent blog post, the Obesity Canada Report on the ACTION study has just been released!

The ACTION Canada study, in which I was one of the investigators and authors, was undertaken to get a better understanding of the barriers to obesity care in Canada. We created an online survey and sent it out to three groups of Canadians: adults with obesity; healthcare providers; and employers who offer health insurance or wellness programs.

Obesity Canada’s Report Card on the ACTION study is an awesome summary of five key points that we learned from the ACTION study, along with ‘ACTION ITEMS’ under each finding for people with obesity, health care providers, and employers who offer health insurance to their employees.

ACTION FINDING #1:

Confusion about obesity among all three surveyed groups is preventing people with obesity from accessing evidence-based support for it.

ACTION FINDING #2:

Significant barriers to obesity care result from important differences in how each of the three surveyed groups view obesity and their role in addressing it.

ACTION FINDING #3:

Patients and health care providers are not on the same page when it comes to each other’s role in managing obesity, and how to go about it.

ACTION FINDING #4:

Employees don’t fully understand the health benefits they have, and those benefits likely don’t help people manage obesity.

ACTION FINDING #5:

Weight bias and discrimination is common among health care providers and employers, and prevents people with weight struggles from accessing meaningful treatment and support for living with obesity.

Download the report card for great tips on how to advocate for yourself and seek care if you are a person with obesity. For healthcare providers and employers, download the report card to learn what important steps you need to take to improve the care of people living with this chronic medical condition.

Disclaimer: The ACTION study is funded by Novo Nordisk, the maker of the obesity medication Saxenda (liraglutide 3.0mg). I received honoraria for participation as an investigator in the ACTION study. I receive honoraria as a continuing medical education speaker and consultant from Novo Nordisk.

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