This activity will review the rationale, mechanisms of action, and indications for current FDA-approved anti-obesity pharmacotherapies, as well as explore medications that have weight-loss-promoting potential.

This activity will highlight new updates in our understanding of how diabesity develops and describe the negative physiologic effects of this disease on multiple body systems, notably the cardiovascular and renal systems. Optimal treatments for diabesity will be identified, along with an overview of the health burden of diabesity related to long-term complications and reduced function, quality of life and life expectancy. 

Obesity, a major health concern that now affects over 40 percent of the U.S. population, is highly influenced by multiple factors and social determinants of health (SDOH), including disparities in health care access, morbidity and mortality rates, health behavior, and multiple risk factors. Diagnostic disparities may also exist: data on body mass index (BMI) thresholds — used in diagnosis and metabolic and cardiovascular evaluation — indicate variations in specific race/ethnicity and gender subgroups that may not be incorporated in current practice. These disparities and how they are currently being addressed are discussed during this session, as well as the prevalence of obesity and concomitant conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer among populations of varying age, sex, race/ethnicity, and SDOH.

Addressing the multifaceted nature of patients’ wellbeing requires an understanding of the value of integrated medical and behavioral health care in providing holistic and high-quality patient care. This activity will delve into the significance of combined physical and behavioral health treatments on patient outcomes and discuss the key components of evidence-based integrated behavioral health models. Participants will also examine hurdles to adopting these integrated models, including systemic and cultural barriers, to better enable them to advocate for and navigate the provision of whole-person health care.