The overweight and obesity landscape in italy: data from the Italy cohort of the multi-country IMPACT-O study

Purpose: The IMPACT-O study was a multi-country, retrospective cohort study that utilized healthcare databases to describe the landscape/impact of obesity. Here, we describe the characteristics and management of adults with a first record of overweight/obesity or obesity in Italy between 2018 and 2022. Methods: The IQVIA longitudinal patient database in Italy was used to identify individuals with a first record of overweight/obesity, as determined by diagnosis codes and/or body mass index (BMI) measurements (overweight/obesity cohort: BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2; obesity cohort: BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), in the years 2018–2022. Demographic parameters, obesity-related complications (ORCs), and lifestyle, pharmacological, and surgical interventions—as recorded by general practitioners contributing to the database—were described. Results: The overweight/obesity cohort included 38,144 individuals, and the obesity cohort 16,489 individuals. Most individuals with overweight/obesity (72.7%) and obesity (77.1%) presented with ≥ 1 ORCs. The most frequent ORCs among people with obesity were hypertension (48.0%), dyslipidemia (26.2%), osteoarthritis (23.9%), and type 2 diabetes (14.0%). The proportion of individuals receiving pharmacological therapies with an effect on weight was ≤ 1%; there were no records of lifestyle interventions or bariatric surgery. Conclusions: This analysis suggests a high rate of ORCs in people with overweight or obesity at first available record, and limited use of pharmacological treatment with an effect on weight. This highlights the need for prompt recognition and formal diagnosis of overweight and obesity in healthcare settings, accompanied by early and intensive intervention. Patient management could be improved with a systematic and centralized recording of all interventions in this population.