Obesity in the GLP-1 Era: Clinical Characteristics and Prescribing Patterns in a Large Integrated Health System
- 1Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Abstract
Structured AbstractO_ST_ABSAimsC_ST_ABSTo characterize adults with obesity in a large integrated health system.
MethodsWe created a cross-sectional cohort of adults with at least one body mass index (BMI) value >=30 kg/m2 in the prior 18 months, a recent in-person outpatient visit, and an assigned primary care provider. Electronic health record data were transformed into a patient-level analytic dataset and linked to neighborhood-level social determinants of health. Diagnoses, laboratory values, vital signs, and prescriptions were curated using reproducible phenotype definitions and internally reviewed vocabularies.
ResultsThe registry included 280,186 adults, of whom 48% had class I obesity. The cohort was 63% female, 27% Black, and 14% lived in areas with high or very high deprivation. Common comorbidities included hypertension, type 2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety. HbA1c and cholesterol measurements were absent in more than 40% of the cohort during the prior two years. Overall, 22% of patients received a prescription for at least one weight loss drug in the past 2 years, including 18% who received a weight-loss-approved GLP-1 receptor agonist.
ConclusionsThis care-engaged obesity cohort was characterized by high representation of women and socially vulnerable populations, substantial cardiometabolic screening gaps, and broad adoption of GLP-1 agonists.
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BibTeX
@misc{wells2026obesity,
title = {{Obesity in the GLP-1 Era: Clinical Characteristics and Prescribing Patterns in a Large Integrated Health System}},
author = {B. J. Wells and K. M. Lenoir and M. Webster-Clark and N. M. Pajewski and A. T. Pons-Junkins and M. M. Mielke},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.04.26361064},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.04.26361064v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Obesity in the GLP-1 Era: Clinical Characteristics and Prescribing Patterns in a Large Integrated Health System
AU - B. J. Wells
AU - K. M. Lenoir
AU - M. Webster-Clark
AU - N. M. Pajewski
AU - A. T. Pons-Junkins
AU - M. M. Mielke
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/04
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.04.26361064
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.04.26361064v1
AB - Structured AbstractO_ST_ABSAimsC_ST_ABSTo characterize adults with obesity in a large integrated health system. MethodsWe created a cross-sectional cohort of adults with at least one body mass index (BMI) value >=30 kg/m2 in the prior 18 months, a recent in-person outpatient visit, and an assigned primary care provider. Electronic health record data were transformed into a patient-level analytic dataset and linked to neighborhood-level social determinants of health. Diagnoses, laboratory values, vital signs, and prescriptions were curated using reproducible phenotype definitions and internally reviewed vocabularies. ResultsThe registry included 280,186 adults, of whom 48% had class I obesity. The cohort was 63% female, 27% Black, and 14% lived in areas with high or very high deprivation. Common comorbidities included hypertension, type 2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety. HbA1c and cholesterol measurements were absent in more than 40% of the cohort during the prior two years. Overall, 22% of patients received a prescription for at least one weight loss drug in the past 2 years, including 18% who received a weight-loss-approved GLP-1 receptor agonist. ConclusionsThis care-engaged obesity cohort was characterized by high representation of women and socially vulnerable populations, substantial cardiometabolic screening gaps, and broad adoption of GLP-1 agonists.
ER -