Health service approaches to providing care for people who seek treatment for obesity: identifying challenges and ways forward

Michelle Gooey; Catherine Bacus; Divya Ramachandran; Milan Piya; Louise Baur

doi:10.1071/phrp3232228

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Health service approaches to providing care for people who seek treatment for obesity: identifying challenges and ways forward

Michelle Gooey ^A ^* , Catherine Bacus ^B , Divya Ramachandran ^C ^D ^E , Milan Piya ^F ^G and Louise Baur ^E ^H

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Health and Social Care Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

^B Alevia Medical Weight Loss Clinics, Melbourne, VIC and Adelaide, SA, Australia

^C Weight Issues Network, Sydney, NSW, Australia

^D School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

^E Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia

^F School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, NSW, Australia

^G Camden and Campbelltown Hospitals, NSW, Australia

^H Boden Initiative, Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia

^* Correspondence to: michelle.gooey@monash.edu

Public Health Research and Practice 32, e3232228 https://doi.org/10.17061/phrp3232228

Published: 12 October 2022

2022 © Gooey et al. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence, which allows others to redistribute, adapt and share this work non-commercially provided they attribute the work and any adapted version of it is distributed under the same Creative Commons licence terms.

Abstract

Objective: This paper aims to identify challenges in current health service approaches to providing optimal care for people who seek treatment for obesity. Type of program or service: Health service management of obesity in Australia Methods: Drawing on lived experience, clinical and academic perspectives, and available evidence, we reflect on the current state of the healthcare system to support people seeking treatment for obesity. We suggest actions to enable effective, acceptable and equitable care for this group of people. Results: Identified challenges include the complexity of care required to adequately manage obesity, existing service capability and capacity, and high out-of-pocket patient costs. Lessons learnt: To address these challenges, a comprehensive response is required at all levels of the healthcare system. As a starting point, we propose eight a–eas of action: partner with people living with obesity; eliminate weight stigma; increase healthcare professional education, guidelines and resources; establish clear referral pathways and working partnerships; scale services to meet demand; ensure flexible and accessible service delivery; implement changes to the Medicare Benefits Schedule to increase service provision and pursue opportunities for subsidised medicines.