Exploring Racial and Ethnic Differences in Utilization of Medications for Obesity Management in a Nationally Representative Survey.

Background: The burden of obesity falls disproportionately on some racial and ethnic minority groups.
Objective: To assess for racial and ethnic differences in the utilization of obesity-management medications among clinically eligible individuals.
Design: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2011-2016, 2018 and 2020) data and a cross-sectional study design was used to assess for racial and ethnic differences in obesity-management medication utilization. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify the association of race and ethnicity with obesity-management medication utilization. Adjusted models controlled for demographics, socioeconomic status, obesity class, diabetes status, number of chronic conditions, insurance status, and geographic region.
Participants: Adults with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m ² and individuals with a BMI ≥ 27 kg/m ² with ≥ 1 weight-related condition.
Main Measures: The primary outcome measure was utilization of an FDA-approved medication for obesity-management during the study period. The primary independent predictor was race and ethnicity. Separate indicator variables were created for each racial and ethnic group (Non-Hispanic Asian, Non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and Non-Hispanic White (reference group)).
Key Results: In adjusted analyses, Asian (aOR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.16 to 0.77; P < 0.01), Black (aOR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.39 to 0.68; P < 0.001) and Hispanic individuals (aOR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.98; P = 0.04) had significantly lower odds of utilizing obesity-management medications compared to White individuals.
Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that there are racial and ethnic disparities in the use of obesity-management medications.
Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics Approval: The study protocol was exempted from review by the University of California Los Angeles Institutional Review Board. MEPS has been reviewed and approved by the Westat IRB, established under a multi-project assurance (MPA M-1531) granted by the Office for Protection from Research Risks, (OPRR). The project is reviewed and the approval renewed annually. Consent to Publish: Not applicable. Personal identifying information are removed before information from the survey is made available to researchers. Competing Interests: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)