Healthy Living BEYOND Weight Study

Obesity and overweight are presently the leading clinical and public health challenge in the United States. Nationally representative data demonstrates a historically high domestic prevalence of obesity, with a disproportionately high burden in vulnerable populations. There are myriad clinical consequences of obesity, with the most significant adverse impact being premature mortality due to an excess burden of cardiovascular disease. The cardiovascular consequences of overweight and obesity are mediated through cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, involving multisystem dysfunction and progressive vascular pathology. While the public health urgency of overweight and obesity is well established, the landscape of obesity management has been revolutionized in recent years by the emergence of increasingly effective and safe obesity pharmacotherapies, in addition to refined approaches to lifestyle modification and bariatric surgery. Clinical trials and observational studies have demonstrated the efficacy of these obesity therapies for inducing weight loss, improving Cardiovascular-Kidney Metabolic (CKM) risk factor profiles and decreasing rates of adverse kidney and cardiovascular events. However, many substantial questions remain regarding the real world and long-term utilization and impact of these therapies, as well as the broader lived experience of individuals living with overweight and obesity. Utilizing direct engagement with participants and the examination of health records, the Healthy Living BEYOND Weight Study is poised to provide important new insights about the health, well-being and approaches to care for persons living with overweight and obesity.

Inclusion criteria

• BMI at the time of enrollment of 25 kg/m2 or greater or other elevated adiposity measures (e.g., waist circumference of greater than 102cm (40 in) in men or 88cm (35 in) in women) OR adults with a BMI less than 25 due to previous or current weight management treatment (lifestyle, pharmacological or surgical).

Exclusion criteria

• Incarcerated at the time of enrollment
• Self-reported pregnancy at the time of enrollment. However, individuals who become pregnant after enrollment will be welcomed to continue to participate, given that the critical life period of pregnancy often has a significant impact on subsequent weight trajectories.
• Terminal illness or end-stage disease with a life expectancy of less than 6-months
• Employed by the American Heart Association or working on the Healthy Living BEYOND Weight Study