Why should employers take an active role in addressing obesity and weight-related challenges?

Obesity affects nearly 42% of U.S. adults and is projected to reach 50% by 2030 if past trends continue. Prevalence among commercially insured adults is similarly high, with about 41% having obesity. With over 100 obesity-related disorders associated with obesity and the negative impact it has on employee productivity, employers have a unique opportunity to help reverse this trend. By taking an active role, organizations can improve employee health outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and foster a more productive workforce.

How do social drivers of health contribute to disparities in obesity care?

Factors such as income, race, education, and geography heavily influence access to obesity care. Other factors like transportation, housing stability, food security, and safe environments for exercise all affect people’s ability to maintain healthy habits and access obesity treatment. These barriers tend to compound in underserved communities, making it harder to equitably prevent and treat obesity nationwide.

Access to effective weight management care remains uneven across different populations. What are some of the biggest barriers that underserved groups face in accessing treatment?

Affordability remains a major barrier — many insurance plans offer limited coverage for obesity treatments, especially newer medications like GLP-1s. Stigma, provider bias, and time constraints also limit access.

Marginalized patients may feel judged for taking GLP-1s or unsupported while using them, not to mention that healthcare providers often lack comprehensive training in obesity care. For lower-income folks, long working hours, limited sick days, and a lack of childcare can further limit access to appointments and obesity treatments.

Obesity care is evolving, with treatments like medications playing a larger role. What should employers know about these options and their importance in addressing obesity?

New medications like GLP-1s are changing the landscape of obesity care. These therapies have been called “gamechangers” for their effectiveness in weight loss, blood sugar control, blood pressure management, and cardiovascular risk reduction.

GLP-1 convenience — often delivered through telehealth and direct shipment — makes them especially appealing. For employers, these treatments offer an opportunity to reduce chronic disease risk and healthcare spending while improving employee health and productivity.

Still, it's essential to monitor long-term outcomes of GLP-1 use and collaborate with health plans or vendors to ensure treatments deliver on both cost savings and effectiveness.

How might regulatory actions affect availability?

Recent regulatory changes are already influencing access to these treatments. FDA recently removed semaglutide and tirzepatide from its drug shortage list, which prevents pharmacies from compounding these medications. As a result, many patients had to switch to FDA-approved branded versions and may need to review their insurance coverage to ensure continued access to the medications. Employers can help by working with health plans or vendors to ensure a smooth transition of therapy — whether through benefit design or by capping monthly out-of-pocket costs.

For employers, what are the tangible benefits of investing in obesity and weight management care programs?

Investing in weight management programs can offer measurable returns. These programs can help improve employee health, reduce absenteeism, and boost employee retention and productivity. Supporting weight management also helps prevent costly chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Ultimately, these efforts can reduce medical spending, benefiting both employees and employers.

What key elements should employers include in obesity and weight management programs to reduce chronic disease?

To reduce chronic disease, employers should consider developing programs with affordable, wraparound support for weight management — including access to nutrition counseling, behavioral health, and other sustainable wellness resources.

Employers can also partner with vendors offering performance-based weight loss programs and tailored care options. To maximize outcomes, it's essential to cover a full range of evidence-based weight management treatments — such as lifestyle coaching, medications, and surgical options — based on employees' individual needs.

What steps can employers take to ensure equitable access to these programs and address disparities?

To address disparities, employers should reduce financial barriers to accessing obesity treatment by lowering co-pays, deductibles, and coinsurance for lower-wage workers. Offering access to onsite or nearby weight-management clinics can address logistical obstacles to accessing care like transportation or childcare. Employers can also create safe spaces for employees to learn about weight management resources through educational newsletters or partnering with employee resource groups. Creating inclusive environments and equitable benefit design ensures all employees can benefit from available programs.

What can employers do to raise awareness about available treatments and encourage employees to seek care?

Employers can raise awareness by clearly communicating benefits using multiple channels like email, company websites, and platforms like Slack or Teams. Incentivizing healthy behaviors and making benefits easy to access also increases engagement. When employees understand their options and feel encouraged to use resources, they're more likely to seek care and participate in wellness programs.

How can these educational initiatives be tailored to meet the needs of diverse employee populations?

Tailored communication is key. Employers should consider cultural sensitivities, language preferences, and communication styles when designing outreach. Offering materials in multiple languages and formats ensures inclusivity, while customizing messages for people in different life stages like women during midlife helps employees feel seen and supported.

How do you see employers evolving their approach to supporting obesity care and weight management while addressing health disparities?

Looking forward, more employers are expected to offer personalized support for employees managing multiple chronic conditions and social needs. These programs will help close equity gaps by delivering tailored solutions for marginalized communities and advancing whole-person health, inclusive of mental, financial, and physical health, for all employees.

Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company that's been making innovative medicines to help people with diabetes lead longer, healthier lives for more than 100 years. This heritage has given us experience and capabilities that also enable us to drive change to help people defeat other serious chronic diseases such as obesity, rare blood, and endocrine disorders. We remain steadfast in our conviction that the formula for lasting success is to stay focused, think long-term, and do business in a financially, socially, and environmentally responsible way. With U.S. headquarters in New Jersey and commercial, production and research facilities in seven states plus Washington DC, Novo Nordisk employs approximately 8,000 people throughout the country. For more information, visit novonordisk-us.com, Facebook, Instagram, and X.

This article is sponsored by Novo Nordisk, an Advisory Board member organization. Representatives of Novo Nordisk helped select the topics and issues addressed. Advisory Board experts wrote the report, maintained final editorial approval, and conducted the underlying research independently and objectively. Advisory Board does not endorse any company, organization, product or brand mentioned herein.

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