Weight management and healthcare utilization among adults with overweight and obesity in Germany: a representative survey of general practitioner consultations and digital and pharmacological treatment options
Introduction: Obesity prevalence is high, requiring effective and scalable treatment options. German guidelines recommend referral to multimodal treatment programmes. However, reimbursement by statutory health insurance remains fragmented. Little is known about how people with overweight and obesity...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
May 5, 2026
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| In: |
Obesity facts
Year: 2026, Pages: 1-13 |
| ISSN: | 1662-4033 |
| DOI: | 10.1159/000552226 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1159/000552226
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| Author Notes: | Laura Kudlek, Hannah Z. Hennig, Hannah Haumann, Falko F. Sniehotta |
| Summary: | Introduction: Obesity prevalence is high, requiring effective and scalable treatment options. German guidelines recommend referral to multimodal treatment programmes. However, reimbursement by statutory health insurance remains fragmented. Little is known about how people with overweight and obesity engage with available support in Germany. Methods: An online survey was administered to a representative sample of adults living with overweight or obesity in Germany. Participants reported awareness, use, interest, and perceived barriers regarding uptake of (a) primary care consultations, (b) behavioural programmes, and (c) pharmacotherapy for obesity. Results: A total of 2,065 respondents (46.5% women; 53.3% with overweight; 46.7% with obesity) were included. Most had experience with weight management (85.5%), but approaches were predominantly self-directed (75.1%). Engagement with professional obesity care was limited (conversations with general practitioners: 43.1%; participation in structured behavioural weight management programme: 7.8%; use of pharmacotherapy: 6.2%). Awareness and interest varied across treatment modalities, with particularly low awareness (19.6%) but high interest (39.1%) in behavioural programmes. Common barriers included lack of awareness, concerns about long-term effectiveness and side effects, and perception that support was not yet necessary. Conclusion: We identify a substantial evidence-practice gap in German obesity care, characterized by low reported use of professional support despite widespread weight management attempts. Beyond improving access and availability of services, effective obesity care also requires better communication on the effectiveness of evidence-based treatments, in particular behavioural programmes. Additionally, promoting a long-term, chronic-disease model of obesity and weight management may help align expectations, reduce discontinuation, and support sustained engagement with care. Many people in Germany live with overweight or obesity and may need treatment to reduce their health risks. Treatment guidelines recommend structured behavioural weight-management programmes as the first step, with medication or surgery as additional options when appropriate. In reality, however, access to these treatments is limited because reimbursement through health insurance is inconsistent, and many people may not know what kinds of support are available to them. To learn more about how people navigate these options, we asked 2,065 adults with overweight or obesity what kinds of weight-management support they knew about in an online survey. We also asked them whether they had used any of these options, what they would be interested in trying, and what barriers they had experienced. Most people (about 85%) had tried to manage their weight in the past but usually on their own. Three out of four relied mainly on self-directed attempts, such as changing their diet or exercise without professional help. Fewer than half had talked to their general practitioner about weight management, and only a small minority had used medications or participated in behavioural programmes that research has shown to work well before. Awareness was particularly low for behavioural programmes, even though many participants said they would be interested in using them in the future. These results show a clear gap between recommended obesity care and what people currently receive. Improving awareness, access, and referral to effective treatments may help more people receive the support they need. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 14.07.2026 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1662-4033 |
| DOI: | 10.1159/000552226 |