Obesity 2021: Current Clinical Management of a Chronic, Serious Disease

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of the activity, participants will be able to:
• Recognize obesity as a chronic, relapsing, serious disease warranting long-term management and early intervention to
minimize disease burden and decrease associated morbidity and mortality.
• Destigmatize obesity to initiate and enhance patient engagement.
• Apply guideline-recommended care for screening, diagnosis, and individualized treatment of adults and others with obesity.
• Incorporate practical practice management strategies.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Obesity is deeply rooted in genetic, psychosocial, behavioral, and environmental factors that are intertwined with a complex pathophysiology involving persistent adaptations in numerous gut hormones and neuropeptides.
• Destigmatizing obesity in the health care environment is needed and can be accomplished through recognition that obesity is a chronic disease, improved communication facilitated by motivational interviewing, and properly equipping the office environment.
• Nonpharmacologic therapy is the foundation of comprehensive treatment for patients with obesity.
• There are 5 antiobesity medications currently approved for long-term use, and these should be considered for patients who are unable to achieve weight management goals with lifestyle treatment
alone.
• Injectable semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist recently approved based on the results of clinical trials showing it to be safe and well tolerated in patients with obesity, enabling one-half
of patients without diabetes to achieve significant weight loss.
The Illinois Academy of Family Practice designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. CME is available from August 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022. To receive CME credit, visit
https://www.pcmg-us.org/survey/obht.