Strengthening the establishment of weight management centres and clinics, empowering the construction of a Healthy China

Novo Nordisk (China) Co., Ltd.

Executive Summary

In recent years, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has significantly increased both globally and in China, becoming a major public health concern and drawing the attention of the international community. According to predictions from the World Obesity Atlas 2024, nearly 3.3 billion adults may be affected by 2035, up from 2.2 billion in 2020. In 2020, 50% of adults in China were overweight or people with obesity, making China the second highest globally after the United States. Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a range of chronic and metabolic diseases, many of which contribute significantly to morality rates. Furthermore, these conditions can lead to a reduction in labour force participation, lower family income, and are associated with declining fertility rates. The World Obesity Atlas 2024 predicts that without intervention, the global economic impact of overweight and obesity will reach USD 3 trillion annually by 2030. In China, the economic burden is forecasted to hit RMB 418 billion by 2030, representing 22% of the country’s total health expenditure.

In response, international organizations and the Chinese government have increasingly focused on addressing overweight and obesity issues. Policies and strategic initiatives have been introduced to promote obesity prevention and management. Since 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued several important documents, including the “Draft Recommendations for the Prevention and Management of Obesity over the Life Course”, the “WHO Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity”, and the “Health Service Delivery Framework for Prevention and Management of Obesity”. These guidelines encourage member countries to actively engage in obesity management, adapting their efforts to their healthcare systems. In China, the government has highlighted the importance of preventing and controlling overweight and obesity in the “Healthy China Action Plan (2019-2030)”. In June 2024, 16 departments, including the National Health Commission, jointly launched the “The Weight Management Year Activity Implementation Plan”, identified 2024 to 2026 as Weight Management Years. This initiative provides comprehensive guidance on prevention, diagnosis and treatment. In October 2024, the General Office of the National Health Commission officially released the “Obesity Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines (2024)” to guide health professionals in clinical obesity management. Additionally, the establishment of weight management centres and specialised outpatient clinics is being recognized as a critical component of obesity policy implementation, and calling for further planning and development.

Currently, there are two multidisciplinary approaches to weight diagnosis and treatment adopted internationally and domestically: weight management centres and clinics. Weight management centre is a platform that integrates resources from multiple disciplines, such as gastrointestinal surgery and endocrinology, operating with independent management and accounting structures. Examples include the Metabolic and Weight Management Centre of Columbia University in New York City and the Multidisciplinary Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Weight Management Mode of Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University. These centres typically feature a team of professionals including doctors, nurses, dietitians, psychological counsellors, etc., offering comprehensive services ranging from consultation and diagnosis to surgery and follow-ups. On the other hand, weight management clinics usually are part of the endocrinology and metabolic disease department, primarily focus on lifestyle interventions and internal medicine. Examples include the Obesity Clinic of the University of Tokyo Hospital and the Obesity Comprehensive Treatment Clinic of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, which involve joint consultations with gastrointestinal surgeons when necessary. The development of weight management centres and outpatient clinics in China is still in its early stage. In the future, promoting their growth in public hospitals will be crucial, as it will benefit national health and economic development, hospital management, clinical development, and patient experience, and will support the implementation of obesity policies, advance the clinical obesity discipline development, and improve the patient-centred diagnosis and treatment system.

Furthermore, it is recommended that more national policies be established to ensure the professional and standardized development of weight management centers and clinics. These policies should include adding obesity as a tertiary clinical discipline, the development of specific policies for obesity multidisciplinary treatment, strict quality control for weight management services, and include the treatment of clinical obesity into the reimbursement scope of City Supplementary Insurance, List C and National Reimbursement Drug List.

Strengthening the establishment of weight management centres and clinics plays an important role in promoting the implementation of weight management in public hospitals and achieving the goals of Healthy China. This requires the joint efforts and cooperation of all sectors of society. Novo Nordisk, as a global leading biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the prevention and treatment of serious chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. We hope to persist in deepening our collaboration with the Chinese government, actively share international experiences and offer support for relevant public cooperative projects, to jointly contributing to the realization of the Healthy China 2030 strategy.

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