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Behavior, Psychology and Sociology

“Just put in a little more effort”: the help-seeking experience of patients living with obesity

International Journal of Obesity volume 49, pages 2062–2069 (2025)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background

Early detection of the disease obesity and support for patients living with obesity could improve the success of obesity treatment and management. The factors influencing the delay in obesity treatment, defined as the period between obesity onset and treatment start, are largely unknown. The aim of our study is to explore the help-seeking behavior of PwO towards obesity treatment.

Methods

In this cross-sectional qualitative study, consecutive patients visiting the obesity clinic of the University Hospitals of Brussels between December 2023 and April 2024 were invited to participate. PwO were interviewed, and data were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

A total of 18 PwO (61% female, median age 37 years, (IQR: 23.5–57.5)) were interviewed. The journey of PwO towards obesity care seemed complex with multiple HCPs involved. Four themes were identified as triggers for seeking obesity care: Referral from primary care, family, friends and schools; Health complications; Financial burden of living with obesity; and Increased internal motivation. Three themes were identified as factors increasing treatment delay: Inefficient referral; Pressure from society to try lifestyle approaches first; and Challenges to overcome barriers for metabolic surgery. Inefficient referral from dietitians to multidisciplinary obesity treatment was identified as the main cause of treatment delay. PwO feel discouraged by the limited effectiveness of dietary guidance, leading to disengagement from the healthcare system.

Conclusion

Our findings identify several key barriers contributing to treatment delays for patients with obesity. People living with obesity emphasized the need for an obesity care pathway and improved communication among primary care providers, allied health professionals, and collaborating centres for obesity management (COMs) to reduce the time required to access appropriate obesity treatment. Additionally, societal perceptions framing obesity as a result of a lack of willpower were reported by patients with obesity as a barrier to seeking care.

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Fig. 1: The journey of PwO towards receiving obesity care.

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Data availability

Information concerning data availability can be found in appendix 2.

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Acknowledgements

We extend our gratitude to all the patients who participated in the interviews.

Funding

We acknowledge financial support from Eli Lilly and Company. This funding source had no role in the design of this study and did not have any role during its execution, analyses, interpretation of the data, preparation of the manuscript or the decision to submit results for publication.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biostatistics and Medical Informatics Research Group, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium

    Lucas Schreurs & Diederik De Cock

  2. Department of Endocrinology, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Jette, Brussels, Belgium

    Carla De Smedt, Ellen Goris & David Unuane

  3. Department of Surgery, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Jette, Brussels, Belgium

    Martijn Schoneveld

  4. Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology, Department of Chronic Diseases and Metabolism, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Nele Steenackers, Sofia Pazmiño & Bart Van der Schueren

  5. Department of Pediatrics, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090, Jette, Belgium

    Inge Gies

  6. Department of Endocrinology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Bart Van der Schueren

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  1. Lucas Schreurs
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Contributions

LS: conceptualisation, formal analysis, funding acquisition, methodology, project administration, resources, validation, visualisation, writing original draft. CdeS: conceptualisation, investigation, project administration, resources, validation, visualisation, writing original draft. EG: conceptualisation, investigation, project administration, resources, validation, visualisation, writing original draft, writing review & editing. DU: conceptualisation, investigation, project administration, resources, validation, visualisation, writing original draft. MS: conceptualisation, investigation, project administration, resources, validation, visualisation, writing original draft. Nele Steenackers: conceptualisation, investigation, project administration, resources, validation, visualisation, writing original draft. SP: conceptualisation, investigation, project administration, resources, validation, visualisation, writing original draft. Inge Gies: conceptualisation, investigation, project administration, resources, validation, visualisation, writing original draft. BVderS: conceptualisation, investigation, project administration, resources, validation, visualisation, writing original draft. DDeC: conceptualisation, data curation, formal analysis, funding acquisition, investigation, project administration, methodology, resources, validation, visualisation, writing original draft, writing review & editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lucas Schreurs.

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Schreurs, L., De Smedt, C., Goris, E. et al. “Just put in a little more effort”: the help-seeking experience of patients living with obesity. Int J Obes 49, 2062–2069 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-025-01867-6

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