Short summary

We establish a Danish cohort of people with BMI >30 kg/m2 and two control groups (BMI 20-25 kg/m2 and 25-30 kg/m2). Participants will be screened by for obesity-related diseases at baseline. Biobank samples are collected. People with obesity related disease will be offered participation in a lifestyle intervention program. Follow up at 1 and 5 years. Cohort data will be used to detect prevalence and predictors for obesity-related disease evaluate the effect of the lifestyle intervention.

Rationale

Obesity is a major global health challenge and the prevalence of obesity continues to rise. Given that we do not have an effective, scalable and safe treatment, we need to rethink our approach to people with obesity. We suggest a setup, which switches the focus from body weight to obesity-related adverse health outcomes.

The overall aim of the initiative is to

1) Offer a focused screening for obesity-related diseases and refer to relevant treatment, and to assess the incidence of undiagnosed diseases in a Danish obese population and

2) Improvement of health and self-perception through participation in a 12 month personalized lifestyle intervention program.

Description of the cohort

People (18-60 years) with BMI >30 kg/m2 and control groups (BMI 20-25 kg/m2 and 20-25 kg/m2) Uptake area of Hospital South West Jutland: The 5 muncipalities Billund, Varde, Esbjerg, Fanø, and Vejen.

Data and biological material

All participants are screened at baseline for undetected obesity-related diseases (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, sleep apnea, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, EKG-abnormalities, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and joint pain.

Biobank: Blood, urine and faeces.

Clinical examinations and anthropometric measurements (anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, clinical laboratory variables, EKG, liver elastography, spirometry, bioimpedance analysis, gait speed, and dual energy CT scan for estimation of the subcutaneous and visceral fat volume).

PRO questionnaires: Impact of Weight on Quality of Life, Attitude to physical activity, Adult Eating Behavior, sleep apnea questionnaires, PCOS related questionnaire, Work Ability Index, and weight history, and more.