Study IDs Barriers to GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Use in Adolescents, Young Adults
THURSDAY, Aug. 7, 2025 -- A considerable proportion of adolescents and young adults eligible for glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are uninsured, and many young adults do not have a routine place for health care, according to a research letter published online Aug. 4 in JAMA Pediatrics.
Ashwin K. Chetty, from the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues characterized demographic, clinical, and socioeconomic characteristics of U.S. adolescents (aged 12 to 17 years) and young adults (aged 18 to 25 years) eligible for any GLP-1 RA in a cross-sectional study using pooled data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from January 2017 to March 2020 and August 2021 to August 2023.
Among eligible adolescents, the GLP-1 RA indication was obesity with or without diabetes for 99.2 percent and type 2 diabetes alone for 0.8 percent. The GLP-1 RA indication was obesity with or without diabetes for 88.2 percent and a body mass index of 27 or higher with a weight-related condition with or without diabetes for 11.8 percent of eligible young adults. The researchers found that adolescents eligible for GLP-1 RAs included 40.3, 40.5, and 7.2 percent insured by Medicaid, privately insured, and uninsured, respectively. Eligible young adults included 20.8, 49.0, and 19.4 percent insured by Medicaid, privately insured, and uninsured, respectively. Overall, 92.2 percent of adolescents and 68.1 percent of young adults reported having a routine place for health care. Cardio-kidney-metabolic risk factors were prevalent among both groups.
"Expanded GLP-1 RA insurance coverage may substantially increase access, but uninsurance and lack of routine care are barriers to this therapy," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to relevant organizations.
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