Attitudes of Swedish primary care physicians toward GLP-1 receptor agonists for overweight and obesity: a cross-sectional survey
摘要
Obesity is a growing global health burden, previously with few effective treatments. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) were originally approved for diabetes but are increasingly prescribed for treatment of overweight and obesity. The increasing expenditure has led to ethical debates surrounding the utilization of these drugs. Few studies have investigated the attitudes to GLP-1 RAs among prescribing physicians. This study aimed to assess the attitudes to GLP-1 RAs for treatment of overweight and obesity among Swedish primary care physicians.
MethodsThis was a cross-sectional survey with descriptive quantitative analysis and thematic analysis of free-text responses. A mix of multiple-choice questions and rating scales, including the Likert scale was employed. The study was conducted in October 2024 among physicians working in primary care in the Swedish regions of Gävleborg, Uppsala, Västernorrland, Västmanland and Örebro. The survey was distributed through the Drug and Therapeutics Committees (DTCs) in the regions.
ResultsThe 190 responses yielded a response rate of 28%. Of these, 163 responses could be included in the final analysis. Almost all respondents (98%) agreed that GLP-1 RAs are effective drugs for treating obesity, and 91% believed they will be important for obesity treatment in the future. Main identified barriers for prescribing GLP-1 RAs were high patient co-payment (69%) and low drug availability due to supply shortages at the time of conducting this survey (86%).
ConclusionPhysicians working in primary care in Sweden consider GLP-1 RAs effective for treating obesity and believe these drugs will play an important role in obesity treatment in the future. These findings should be interpreted in the light of the low response rate and possible self-selection bias.