Humanistic Burden and Gaps in Care and Treatment Policies of Obesity in Canada: A Systematic Review
6 affiliations
- 1Eli Lilly and Company, 130 King St W Suite 900, Toronto, ON M5X 1B1 Canada
- 2Eli Lilly and Company, Alcobendas, 28108 Madrid, Spain
- 3Formerly Adelphi Values PROVE, Adelphi Mill, Bollington, Cheshire SK10 5JB UK
- 4School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Canada
- 5Obesity Canada – Obesité Canada, 2-126 Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1 Canada
- 6Department of Medicine, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1 Canada
Abstract
Introduction: This article aims to describe the results of a systematic literature review of the humanistic impact of obesity in adults in Canada and to identify gaps in obesity care and treatment policies.
Methods: Databases, conference proceedings, and guidelines were searched for recent publications evaluating the humanistic burden of obesity and barriers, guidelines, and treatment policies regarding obesity management worldwide, with results reported here for publications from Canada.
Results: Overall, 17,130 publications were identified, of which 22 publications from Canada were included. Of these, four publications reported on humanistic burden, six reported on the barriers towards effective obesity management, and 12 reported on obesity management guidelines and treatment policies. Multimorbidity was associated with poor mental health among people with obesity (PwO), while the communication style adopted by healthcare providers perpetuated the bias and stigma faced by PwO. Barriers to effective treatment included lack of alignment on treatment goals between PwO and physicians, physicians’ attitudes toward obesity, inadequate healthcare access, and underutilization of the guideline-recommended pillars of obesity management.
Interpretation: The Canada-specific evidence highlighted in this review suggest a negative humanistic impact of obesity, particularly in relation to mental health outcomes and weight stigma. Findings from observational, survey-based, and environmental scan sources also suggest misalignment between guideline-recommended obesity care and real-world access, coverage, or uptake across Canadian jurisdictions. Interpretation of these findings should consider the broad scope and heterogenous nature of the evidence identified.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-026-03736-8.
Related
- The impact of social protection interventions on treatment and socioeconomic outcomes of tuberculosis-affected people and households in low income, high burden settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- Treatment Burden Among Adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Comorbidities: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review of Direct and Indirect Evidence
- Prefrontal cortex immaturity and reward circuit hijacking: Why anti-obesity policies fail to protect children from ultra-processed food overconsumption
- Structural weight stigma in U.S. healthcare: mechanisms and consequences of medical obesity policies
- Post-policy evaluation lags of tobacco and nicotine product policies: a systematic review from the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom
BibTeX
@article{longuet2026humanistic,
title = {{Humanistic Burden and Gaps in Care and Treatment Policies of Obesity in Canada: A Systematic Review}},
author = {Christine Longuet and Esther Artime and Jennifer Glass and Sam Riley and Rachel Kewley and Jennifer L. Kuk and Ian Patton and David C. W. Lau},
journal = {Advances in Therapy},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1007/s12325-026-03736-8},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-026-03736-8},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Humanistic Burden and Gaps in Care and Treatment Policies of Obesity in Canada: A Systematic Review
AU - Christine Longuet
AU - Esther Artime
AU - Jennifer Glass
AU - Sam Riley
AU - Rachel Kewley
AU - Jennifer L. Kuk
AU - Ian Patton
AU - David C. W. Lau
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/13
JO - Advances in Therapy
DO - 10.1007/s12325-026-03736-8
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-026-03736-8
AB - Introduction: This article aims to describe the results of a systematic literature review of the humanistic impact of obesity in adults in Canada and to identify gaps in obesity care and treatment policies. Methods: Databases, conference proceedings, and guidelines were searched for recent publications evaluating the humanistic burden of obesity and barriers, guidelines, and treatment policies regarding obesity management worldwide, with results reported here for publications from Canada. Results: Overall, 17,130 publications were identified, of which 22 publications from Canada were included. Of these, four publications reported on humanistic burden, six reported on the barriers towards effective obesity management, and 12 reported on obesity management guidelines and treatment policies. Multimorbidity was associated with poor mental health among people with obesity (PwO), while the communication style adopted by healthcare providers perpetuated the bias and stigma faced by PwO. Barriers to effective treatment included lack of alignment on treatment goals between PwO and physicians, physicians’ attitudes toward obesity, inadequate healthcare access, and underutilization of the guideline-recommended pillars of obesity management. Interpretation: The Canada-specific evidence highlighted in this review suggest a negative humanistic impact of obesity, particularly in relation to mental health outcomes and weight stigma. Findings from observational, survey-based, and environmental scan sources also suggest misalignment between guideline-recommended obesity care and real-world access, coverage, or uptake across Canadian jurisdictions. Interpretation of these findings should consider the broad scope and heterogenous nature of the evidence identified. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-026-03736-8.
SN - 0741-238X
SN - 1865-8652
ER -