Development and Validation of a Measure Identifying Patients With Obesity by BMI Without an Official Diagnosis
Authors' conclusion
Findings highlight the clinical importance of documenting obesity in the EHR. Patients with an obesity diagnosis were more likely to lose weight, supporting the measure's predictive validity. This measure addresses gaps in obesity care, promoting early identification, targeted interventions, and better outcomes. Its feasibility as an EHR-based measure enhances adaptability across healthcare settings.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with obesity by BMI, 6 medical groups (124 clinics, 3483 providers), 2022
- Participants
- 295,372 eligible patients
- Comparison
- Patients with vs without an obesity diagnosis in the electronic health record (EHR)
- Outcome
- Obesity diagnosis rates and measure reliability
Methodological detailspilot-tested across 6 medical groups, EHR-based
- Pilot-tested across 6 medical groups
- EHR-based
Performance
As reported in the abstract
Obesity diagnosis rates across medical groups
37.6% to 50.8%
Reliability, clinic-level
0.97
Reliability, provider-level
0.89
Further findings
| Outcome | Obesity diagnosis | No diagnosis | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year weight change (predictive validity) · within the year following the index visitDiagnosed lost 0.34 lb; undiagnosed gained 1.78 lb | average −0.34 pounds | average 1.78 pounds | P = 0.026 |
- 1-year weight change (predictive validity): predictive cohort of 1132 patients with ≥1 follow-up weight
Original publication
Development and Validation of a Measure Identifying Patients With Obesity by BMI Without an Official Diagnosis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Published 18 August 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →