Clinical Assessment of the Patient with Overweight or Obesity

Abstract

There is a global pandemic of obesity. Now widely recognized as a disease in its own right, obesity is capable of adversely affecting the function of all organ systems and worsening the course of many coexisting morbidities. While the ability to carry out a basic clinical assessment of obesity is increasingly necessary for healthcare professionals in all fields, the comprehensive assessment of obesity requires multidisciplinary expertise, including that of obesity physicians, dieticians, psychologists and/or psychiatrists, and bariatric/metabolic surgeons. This assessment must consider potential drivers of obesity, the effect of obesity on an individual’s physical and mental health, physical function, and the impact of obesity on other aspects of their wellbeing including their family, social, and economic lives.