On January 30, the Associated Press Newsroom released an editorial video titled “About half of Americans approve of using weight-loss drugs to treat obesity, AP-NORC poll finds,” featuring Kai Jones, MD. Dr. Jones is an Assistant Professor of Medicine for WashU Medicine’s Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research.
The editorial discusses the results of a recent AP-NORC poll surveying if adults are supportive of the use of weight-loss drugs, such as Ozempic, Wegovy or other brands, for individuals struggling with obesity or health conditions related to weight. The results indicated that about half of people support the use of these medications for that purpose in adults, but that they are “more hesitant when it comes to prescribing drugs to younger people.”
In Dr. Jones’ contribution to the editorial, she emphasizes the importance of ensuring patients are informed that although some private insurance companies may cover these medications, that could change. “Stopping these medications can often lead to weight regain,” she states. Dr. Jones also points out that “some folks may associate these medications with only weight loss and not know that they have approval for other medical co-morbidities that are very impactful for people’s lives.”
Associated Press. (n.d.). Editorial photos & videos. AP News. https://newsroom.ap.org/editorial-photos-videos/detail?itemid=31aa5baa1f8e427b827ba1d711b5b911