New study reveals promising health trends :: WRAL.com

New research shows Americans may be prioritizing their health more.

In a recently published study, JAMA Health Forum The study surveyed 16.7 million adults aged 25 to 75 from 2013 to 2023.

Researchers used electronic health data as well as medical and insurance claims to determine changes in BMI over a 10-year period.

This study was 51.3% female and 48.7% male.

The results showed that the average BMI has increased every year from 29.65 in 2013 to 30.23 in 2021. Clinicians saw an increase in obesity at the height of the pandemic, but in the 2022 study, the data plateaued at a BMI of 39.24.

In 2023, the BMI will be 30.21, the first decline in over 10 years.

Although the reported decrease is only 0.03, medical experts say it is a hopeful sign that the U.S. is moving in the right direction.

“I think it's great news to hear headlines that obesity rates are decreasing or even leveling off,” said Dr. Andrea Coviello, director of the UNC Weight Management Program. “This is something that has affected so many people and their health in so many different ways, and sadly we have seen the epidemic increase over time.”

Coviello said he would like to see more of the U.S. population included in broader studies.

“One of the caveats with this particular study is that it is an estimate of insurance claims data mixed with electronic medical record data. There is potentially some bias in terms of the people included in these datasets. “It may include,” she pointed out.

The doctor explained that this information was only collected from people who are actively engaged in medical care, as obesity is known to have a big impact on people who do not keep up with regular medical visits. .

“What we want is for the population as a whole to become more engaged in weight management, healthy lifestyle issues, higher quality nutrition, more physical activity and less stress.” she said.

Coviello said the combination of these changes can help people lose weight and reduce their risk of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

The study also looked at the use of weight loss drugs.

They found that the South had the highest rate of decline in BMI and the highest number of claims for weight loss drugs.

“That was still only 6% of the population,” Coviello explained in context. “The obesity rate in that population has since decreased by 1%. So how much of that is due to people getting the right treatment? It's not clear.”

Doctors said the ultimate goal of prescribing drugs such as GLP-1 to patients is a lower BMI and a healthier lifestyle.

“If GLP-1 is doing that in this data set, that's great. That's exactly what we wanted to see and what the clinical trials suggested,” she said.

More time is needed to fully understand the impact that GLP-1 drugs are having on weight loss in states across the country, including North Carolina.

The Tarheel State just expanded its Medicaid coverage in August to broadly cover weight loss drugs.

Coviello told WRAL he's glad this happened.

“Being able to offer GLP-1 to people with Medicaid insurance has been a real game-changer for many of my patients,” she said. “I was very happy when they made that announcement. We worked on it well, and in August we had people taking the drug.”

Coviello said not all patients seek prescriptions for weight loss drugs. She said many people just ask for advice on different things to lose weight.

Some are simply trying to set a better example for their children.

“By the time we see them, they have usually been suffering for a long time. Most often the motivating factor is the emergence of other chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and osteoarthritis. I think so,” she said. “Many patients come to us knowing they are suffering from obesity, but they come to us for advice because they don't want their children to be obese.”

He also noted that stronger public messaging and weight loss campaigns, including through CDC, WHO, and community outreach, may also play a role in reducing BMI.