Best Practices for Educating Patients on Holistic Weight Management Approaches | NCPA 2024

In the United States, 41.9% of adults over the age of 20 years have obesity and 73.6% have overweight.¹ This represents a significant public health threat in the country, particularly as some estimates expect 1 in 2 adults to have obesity by 2030.² As obesity is known to increase the risk of chronic disease and lead to poor life expectancy, implementing measures to mitigate the rise in obesity is a critical issue.

As the most accessible health care providers, pharmacists are well positioned to play key role in helping patients with weight management. Community pharmacists have the clinical knowledge and skills to effectively provide patients with weight loss solutions through counseling. Previous research has also shown that when pharmacists provide weight loss interventions, it results in significant improvements in body weight loss for patients.³

At the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) 2024 Annual Convention and Expo, held October 26 to 29 in Columbus, Ohio, Drug Topics sat down with Melody Hartzler, PharmD, clinical pharmacist and CEO of PharmToTable and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Findlay College of Pharmacy, to discuss some best practices pharmacists can use to educate patients on holistic approaches to weight management.

“What are the low hanging fruits,” Hartzler said. “Looking at drugs that people may be on and doing bag stuffers about what nutrient depletions are associated with x, y and z medications. Maybe it’s a package you’re offering. You’ve got a health coach involved and you have a class that’s a kickoff in your community. Finding out what the needs are in the community can also be really important.”

“I think it’s really understanding your demographic because this might look different in New York City versus rural Tennessee,” she added. “Who are you serving and what are their needs?”

References

1. Obesity and Overweight. Report. CDC. January 5, 2023. Accessed October 28, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obesity-overweight.htm

2. Ward ZJ, Bleich SN, Cradock AL, et al. Projected U.S. State-Level Prevalence of Adult Obesity and Severe Obesity. N Engl J Med. 2019 Dec 19;381(25):2440-2450. doi: 10.1056/NEJMsa1909301. PMID: 31851800.

3. Alhomoud IS, Cook E, Patel D, et al. Effect of pharmacist interventions on the management of overweight and obesity: A systematic review. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2024 May-Jun;64(3):102058. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2024.102058. Epub 2024 Feb 27. PMID: 38417740.