New Global Survey Highlights Gaps in Obesity Guidelines and Urges More Inclusive, Context-Specific Recommendations
We are pleased to announce the publication of a major international survey led by the iCARDIO Alliance in Global Cardiology. This survey, conducted among over 1,400 clinicians in 129 countries, sheds light on a critical issue in cardiovascular care: the global applicability and effectiveness of current obesity clinical practice guidelines.
Obesity is now widely recognized as a chronic disease with far-reaching impacts on cardiovascular and metabolic health. Yet most clinical guidelines fail to adequately address the socio-economic and regional realities of frontline healthcare providers, especially those working in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Key findings from the survey include:
- While 93.5% of respondents acknowledged obesity as a disease, only 29% found existing guidelines applicable to their country.
- Cost and perceived focus on high-income country settings were the most cited barriers to implementation, regardless of the respondent’s country.
- Only 13.1% believed existing guidelines are equally relevant across socio-economic and geographic contexts.
- There was overwhelming agreement (83.4%) on the need for guidelines to include specific recommendations tailored to different socio-economic settings.
- A majority of respondents (68.7%) emphasized the need for guideline development committees to include authors from LMICs, with notably higher support from LMIC-based clinicians.
This study confirms the persistent gap between obesity guidelines and the realities clinicians face worldwide and calls for a rethinking of obesity management frameworks, with greater emphasis on regional equity, economic feasibility, and multidisciplinary input.
The findings highlight the urgent need to align recommendations with the needs of people living with obesity, wherever they live, to improve outcomes and equity of care. As a patient-centered initiative, the iCardio Alliance is committed to closing these gaps.
These results strengthen the rationale and motivation for our forthcoming Global Implementation Guidelines, designed to deliver practical, context-specific solutions.
Coming soon:
The iCARDIO Alliance will shortly be publishing a full set of Global Implementation Guidelines for cardiology on Obesity. These comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations have taken the survey results into consideration and will address the urgent need for practical, implementable guidance across diverse healthcare systems – improving outcomes for people living with obesity, everywhere.