SOCIAL PERCEPTION OF PHARMACOLOGICAL OBESITY TREATMENT IN THE ERA OF INCRETIN THERAPIES: AN ANALYSIS OF STIGMA IN MEDICAL AND NON-MEDICAL POPULATIONS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31435/ijitss.3(51).2026.6421Keywords:
Obesity, Weight Bias, GLP-1 Receptor Agonists, Evidence-based Medicine, Social Attitudes, Effort-based SanctionsAbstract
Background: According to evidence-based medicine (EBM) guidelines, obesity is a chronic and progressive disease with a multifactorial etiology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the scale of social stigma surrounding obesity and the perception of modern pharmacological treatment (including GLP-1 receptor agonists), with particular emphasis on the differences between medical professionals and the non-medical population.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a proprietary online survey questionnaire (CAWI). The study group consisted of 158 respondents, divided into a medical subgroup (N=65) and a non-medical subgroup (N=93). Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test of independence, with the significance level set at p<0.05.
Results: Over half of the respondents (60.1%; n=95) attributed the pathogenesis of obesity to a "lack of willpower and laziness." Nearly half of the surveyed individuals (49.4%; n=78) considered the implementation of pharmacotherapy as taking the "easy way out," which confirms the presence of the effort-based sanctions mechanism. Medical professionals were significantly more likely to define obesity as a chronic disease compared to the non-medical group (70.8% vs. 50.5%; p<0.001); however, nearly 30% of them did not express full support for this clinical definition. The medical group also demonstrated significantly greater skepticism regarding the harmful pressure caused by the media popularity of incretin drugs (p=0.001).
Conclusions: The study confirms the widespread nature of the so-called double stigma against patients with obesity. Persisting biases, also within the medical community, indicate deficitsin health education. Destigmatization and guideline-based education are crucial for the effective implementation of modern pharmacotherapy in everyday clinical practice.
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