Perceptions, Attitudes, Behaviors, and Barriers to Effective Obesity Care in South Korea: Results from the ACTION-IO Study

Background: The prevalence of obesity is increasing in South Korea. We aimed to identify the perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and barriers to effective obesity care in South Korea.

Methods: The Awareness, Care, and Treatment In Obesity maNagement-an International Observation (ACTION-IO) study was a cross-sectional survey conducted in 11 countries. Respondents were people with obesity (PwO; body mass index ≥25 kg/m² in South Korea from self-reported height/weight) and healthcare professionals (HCPs) primarily involved in direct care with PwO.

Results: The survey was completed by 1,500 PwO and 200 HCPs in South Korea. PwO (78%) and HCPs (81%) agreed that obesity is a chronic disease, but more PwO (84%) believed that obesity has an extreme impact on their overall health compared with HCPs (65%). Most PwO felt completely responsible for their own weight loss (81%), and 78% reported at least one serious weight loss attempt in the past. In contrast, HCPs reported that, on average, only 35% of their patients with obesity had made a serious attempt at losing weight. Only 31% of PwO had discussed weight with their HCP in the past 5 years; of those, 78% appreciated that HCPs initiated these conversations. Short appointment times restricted weight loss discussions for 70% of HCPs, and 29% of HCPs expressed complete comfort with such conversations.

Conclusion: South Korean PwO are motivated to lose weight and have expressed interest in HCPs being more active in their weight management. Further nationwide efforts may be required to lower the barriers to education about obesity and effective weight loss discussion and management.