Abstracts / Posters
The impact of obesity on prescribing resources in primary care
Oral presentation at ECO 2003
The Counterweight Project Team
Aims: To assess the prescribing burden of obesity in UK primary care.
Methods: 50 obese (BMI>=30) and 50 normal weight (BMI 18.5-<25) patients, age and sex matched were randomly selected from each of 23 practices (n= 1150 obese, 1150 normal weight). Prescribing data over the previous 18 months were collected and categorised according to the British National Formulary. Results are reported on the first 20 practices.
Results: A higher percentage of obese compared to normal weight patients were prescribed at least one drug in the following disease categories: gastrointestinal (25:17), cardiovascular (38:21), anti-hypertensives (29:14), lipid regulators (12:5), endocrine (28:18) diabetes drugs (11:4), musculoskeletal & joint disease (31:22), central nervous system (44:33) and infections (43:35); all p<0.001, anti-depressants (16:13; p<0.05), respiratory (22:18; p<0.05) & skin (24:19; p<0.01).
Conclusions: Obesity has a significant impact on prescribing across a range of disease areas.