Start the Conversation. Treat Obesity First.

Obesity is a chronic, complex disease that requires precise diagnosis and comprehensive treatment. Yet we’ve seen firsthand that providers and patients alike are confused about what obesity care entails and where to begin.

Starting the conversation with your patients is the first step toward better health outcomes.

Practice with a Patient

1. Center Obesity

Recognize obesity as a chronic disease and root cause of many other chronic conditions.

2. Start the Conversation

Invite your patients to talk about how you can work together to manage their obesity.

3. Build a Plan

Use holistic, patient-centered treatment across OMA’s four pillars of comprehensive care.

4. Support Long-Term Change

Continue care over time, knowing comprehensive obesity treatment is not a quick fix.

STEP 1

Center Obesity

When you treat obesity as a primary disease, you’re addressing the root causes of many other chronic conditions and supporting long-term health.

This means diagnosing and treating obesity as a chronic and complex primary disease first, instead of a secondary issue resulting from other conditions.

STEP 2

Start the Conversation

Treating obesity first begins with a conversation between clinicians and your patients. The Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) is working to simplify that conversation using evidence-based obesity care.

Try it out! Our Patient Simulator, OMAr, can help you practice conversations, test scenarios, and prepare for questions that patients may have about obesity treatment options.

MEET OMAR

Patient Conversation Simulator

"Hi, I’m Omar. I’m a patient living with obesity, and I have questions for you. Can you help?”

Practice Speaking with a Patient

STEP 3

Build a Plan

Once you have started the conversation with your patient about obesity care options, we’ll help you create a comprehensive, scientific, and individualized treatment approach. Personalizing your approach helps patients achieve their health and weight goals and live healthier, longer lives.

See Clinician Resources

STEP 4

Support Long-Term Change

Evidence shows that preventing or treating obesity earlier in life reduces the risk for some chronic diseases and cancers, saves patients and the government on costly healthcare spending, and leads to improved long-term health outcomes.

Why Treating Obesity First Works

: Obesity causes pathophysiological changes — including chronic low-grade inflammation, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hormonal dysregulation — that increase disease risk. Obesity directly contributes to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, osteoarthritis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and at least 13 cancers.¹ ² ³
: Clinical trials demonstrate that losing 10–15% of body weight can help people with obesity and type 2 diabetes achieve remission or significantly improve blood sugar control – often reducing or eliminating the need for glucose-lowering medications.⁴ ⁵
: People with obesity have 30–80% higher healthcare costs than those with a healthy weight, largely due to treating obesity-related chronic diseases. Across the U.S., obesity adds hundreds of billions of dollars to healthcare spending each year.⁶ ⁷
: Major medical organizations recognize obesity as a chronic disease driven by many factors – including genetics, hormones, metabolism, environment, and social determinants of health. These mechanisms biologically defend against excess weight and make weight regain more likely without ongoing treatment.⁸ ⁹
: Treating obesity before other chronic diseases develop reduces lifetime medication use, hospitalizations, disability, and healthcare spending. Studies show it is much more cost-effective when obesity is addressed early rather than after multiple comorbidities develop.¹⁰ ¹¹

As medicine continues to evolve, we will embrace new breakthroughs while staying true to the OMA’s founding belief: holistic, patient-first care is essential to addressing the root causes of obesity.

Learn More About the OMA