Health agency gives obesity care low marks, citing too few receiving help

Sweden's healthcare system is failing to adequately treat obesity, according to a critical report from the National Board of Health and Welfare. The agency assigns the care for adults a grade of 4 out of 10, citing significant shortcomings.

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I give the care for adults a grade of 4 out of 10.

Despite obesity affecting 1.3 million adults and 80,000 children in Sweden, only a small fraction receive treatment. The report notes that while diagnoses are increasing, the number of patients receiving care is not keeping pace, leading to a growing untreated population at risk of preventable illness. Only five of the nineteen regions surveyed have created action plans to implement national guidelines for obesity care, established four years ago with the goal of providing equitable, stigma-free treatment.

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We see that obesity is common and increasing among young people. Those who receive a diagnosis are more numerous than those who receive treatment. The group of untreated individuals is thus growing, which is concerning.

Surgical interventions, the most effective weight-loss method, are performed on only about 5,000 patients annually. The rise of new appetite-suppressing medications has outpaced surgical options, but these drugs are not covered by the high-cost protection scheme, leaving patients to bear the financial burden. This has led to a dramatic increase in patient-paid costs, from 13.5 million SEK in 2018 to over 1.9 billion SEK in 2025, while regional spending on obesity care has barely budged.

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One has not had time to implement competence-enhancing initiatives. This may be because other things are considered to need prioritization first. But more and more people are suffering from obesity, and if they do not receive care, they risk becoming unnecessarily sicker.

The report also points to gender disparities, with women more likely to receive diagnoses and treatment despite obesity being equally prevalent in men. Men with obesity face a 34% higher risk of premature death, yet healthcare providers are not effectively identifying their needs when they seek care for other conditions. Furthermore, the goal of annual follow-ups for this chronic disease is not being met, with only one in three primary care centers consistently following up with most patients.

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This leads to unequal care, but that is how the system with high-cost protection works today.