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Living with obesity has impacted Ian Patton’s life in many ways, from mobility limitations during daily activities and travel to unexpected challenges in the workplace.

“Before I received any treatment, obesity was destroying my life. I had no energy, I was in nagging pain, and I wasn’t able to do the things I wanted to do,” says Patton. “I wasn’t able to spend time with my family like I wanted. I was less productive and my mental health suffered.

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Not wanting to suffer anymore, Patton chose to have bariatric surgery 10 years ago to help him lose weight long-term. In addition to his surgery, he also turned to psychological interventions and anti-obesity medications.

Obesity Canada recently announced key findings from Modeling the cost of inaction in the treatment of obesity in Canadaa report that focuses on the economic impacts of unmanaged obesity. Report finds the cost of inaction to treat obesity in Canada is more than $27 billion – taking into account rising health care costs, unemployment and declining income associated with chronic illness – 20 percent more than previously estimated.

Patton, one of the report’s authors and director of advocacy and public engagement at Obesity Canada, says these findings show there is an urgent need for effective public health strategies to treat and prevent obesity, which could improve health outcomes for Canadians living with obesity, while reducing impacts on the economy.

In Canada, obesity has reached significant levels, with nearly one in three Canadians living with a chronic disease. “Obesity is a genetic, brain-based biological disease triggered by environmental changes,” says Dr. Sean Wharton, an internal medicine physician who specializes in the management of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

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Many factors contribute to this rate increase. “The main environmental change was the abundance of high-calorie foods,” says Dr. Wharton. “The availability and ease of high-calorie foods plays into genetic predispositions to hunger, cravings and emotional aspects of eating.”

The report also reveals that the additional annual cost of obesity to Canada’s health care system is nearly $5.4 billion, which is associated with 19 million additional medical visits, among other health care needs. care and support.

Canadians living with obesity face widespread weight bias and weight discrimination as the disease continues to be viewed as self-inflicted, which can lead to a lack of access to effective, evidence-based interventions, but also prevent people from seeking treatment or prevention measures. support.

“Health care providers can discriminate against obese people, and this needs to change,” says Dr. Wharton.

In the context of the Canadian health care system, Dr. Wharton says access to care for obese people is very limited. It also notes that there is a lack of coverage for obesity-related interventions – such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), pharmacological interventions and bariatric surgery – which can have a significant impact on work capacity and functioning of a person.

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“The need to recognize obesity as a chronic disease deserves to be addressed; it’s not a character flaw related to intentionally eating too much and exercising too little,” says Dr. Wharton.

According to the Obesity Canada report, almost half of obese and disabled adults were unemployed last year, which could cost the Canada Pension Plan millions of dollars per year. The report also found that obesity impacts women’s wages and their ability to work, but men do not face the same challenges. This exacerbates other economic gender disparities, even though more men are living with the disease.

Patton says employers need to do more to better support employees with obesity.

“Consider assessing weight bias in the workplace and taking steps to improve this, as well as providing tolerant and accommodating environments,” he says.

Second, Patton would like to see employer benefit plans provide access to evidence-based treatments for obesity, the same way they do for other chronic illnesses.

Patton experienced his own professional difficulties due to obesity-related complications, including traveling for conferences. “When I was at my sickest, a lot of the impact had to do with my productivity. I was distracted and had trouble concentrating. Traveling was not an easy thing. Airplane seats are not designed for us. It can be very difficult to access these spaces, and it is uncomfortable and expensive.

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Dr. Wharton and Dr. Patton say there is an urgent need for policy makers, stakeholders and the health care community to come together to combat the growing obesity epidemic in Canada.

“The need to recognize obesity as a chronic disease is worth addressing – it is not a character flaw related to intentionally eating too much and exercising too little. Resources need to be dedicated to research and management of obesity,” says Dr. Wharton. “Some interventions will make a difference, such as better coverage of obesity medications and funding for psychological interventions. »

Patton adds: “We have clinical practice guidelines here in Canada that are the world standard, but we are wasting that expertise and knowledge by not putting them into practice. We know what to do, but implementation requires health systems and governments to step in to provide better access to care for Canadians living with obesity.

“We need the whole system to be open to changing our approach to obesity management in order to really make a difference. »

This story was created by Content worksthe commercial content division of Postmedia, on behalf of Obesity Canada and Eli Lilly Canada.

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