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Racial, Sex Disparities Seen in Discussion of, Progression to Weight Loss Surgery

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 17, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Jan. 17, 2025 -- There are racial and sex disparities in the discussion of and progression to metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) among eligible patients, according to a study published online Jan. 15 in the Annals of Surgery Open.

Benjamin Grobman, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study of electronic health records from a large tertiary academic health system to examine changes in rates of discussion of MBS between eligible patients and providers and the likelihood of progressing to surgery.

The analysis included 122,487 patients, of whom 11,094 (9.1 percent) discussed MBS with their providers; of these, 12.2 percent progressed to MBS. The researchers found that the annual fraction of patients who had a discussion of MBS with their providers increased from 3.2 to 10.0 percent between 2000 and 2020. Compared with non-Black patients, Black patients were equally likely to discuss MBS with providers (9.5 versus 9.0 percent), but were less likely to progress to MBS (8.4 versus 12.6 percent). During the study period, these disparities in progression narrowed. Compared with women, men were less likely to discuss MBS (8.1 versus 9.6 percent) and to receive MBS (7.6 versus 14.6 percent); during the study period, these disparities increased.

"Given the rising burden of obesity in the United States, providers and policymakers will need to intervene to ensure that people from all backgrounds have appropriate access to the expanding landscape of treatment for obesity," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical and medical technology industries.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted January 2025

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