Keywords

Weightloss, semaglutide, quality of life, GLP-1

Abstract

Purpose: The study aims to assess the Quality of Life (QoL) among patients undergoing semaglutide treatment for weight loss. The primary hypothesis is that patients’ QoL will improve after semaglutide treatment. This can be due to losing weight, having better physical and mental health, or due to the perceived betterment in life after treatment.

Introduction: Obesity is becoming more prevalent in America, and it has a huge effect on the person's medical conditions, life expectancy, and QoL. Though there has been a surge of treatments to deter the obesity rates in America from rising. One of the more popular and recent treatments is the usage of semaglutide also known as Wegovy, a Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist to help decrease weight. Semaglutide was first intended to be used as a treatment for Type 2 Diabetes, but its weight loss side effects have made it an FDA-approved medication for weight loss (FDA, 2021).

Methods: This study utilized clinical data and survey responses from patients who are receiving semaglutide treatment at a local weight loss clinic. Clinical data included body fat percentage, initial weight, changes in weight through the course of treatment, and Body Mass Index (BMI). A paper format survey was given to patients at the clinic, and it included a standardized questionnaire (SF-12) to measure the QoL as well as demographic questions. The SF-12 survey includes 2 domains, a Physical Component Summary (PCS) and a Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores that range from 0 to 100, where 100 represents the highest QoL. The overall QoL score is the average of both PCS and MCS scores. Collected data was downloaded and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The study was approved by UCF IRB and the local weight loss clinic.

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Results: A total of 20 participants completed the survey and their clinical data was recorded. Collected data was analyzed to assess for potential changes in QoL before and after semaglutide treatment. Overall, the average weight loss for all participants was 14.75 pounds. The mean SF-12 score was 83.40 and the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores were 85.63 and 81.12 respectively. When comparing QoL before and after treatment, 55% of participants reported that their overall QoL before starting semaglutide treatment was worse than now. In response to the question about the reason for selecting semaglutide for weight loss, 95% of participants chose semaglutide to lose weight faster and to look/feel better.

Conclusion: No association was found between using semaglutide for weight loss and improvement in QoL.

Thesis Completion Year

2024

Thesis Completion Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair

Saleh, Suha

College

College of Health Professions and Sciences

Department

Health Science

Thesis Discipline

Health Science

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

None

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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In Copyright