TOPLINE

A new digital tool, CheckCausesObesity.com, developed by a multidisciplinary team of experts, assessed more than 30 potential contributors to obesity across seven categories. Initial data from its Dutch predecessor tool, completed by over 62,000 adults, found more than 90% had at least one contributing factor in two or more categories — most commonly a mix of lifestyle, psychological, and medication-related factors.

METHODOLOGY

• Obesity is a multifactorial disease driven by a mix of biological, psychological, social, and lifestyle factors — yet routine clinical care often stops at generic diet and exercise advice.
• A multidisciplinary team of endocrinologists, obesity specialists, primary care physicians, psychologists, and geneticists — along with patient representatives and behavioral health experts — developed CheckCausesObesity.com to systematically screen patients for underlying drivers of weight gain.
• The tool evaluated more than 30 potential contributors across seven categories: lifestyle-related factors, social circumstances, psychological factors, medication-related factors, endocrine disorders, hypothalamic injury, and genetic factors.
• It also screened for comorbidities using guideline-based algorithms, including STOP-Bang for obstructive sleep apnea, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence criteria for osteoarthritis, standardized psychiatric criteria for binge eating disorder, Rotterdam criteria for polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Concise for alcohol use.
• Initial analyses included 62,809 adults (median age, 53 years; 76.2% women; median BMI, 33.1) who completed the Dutch version of the tool and consented to using their data for research. Participants typically completed the questionnaire at home in about 25 minutes; results were then summarized in a user-friendly report for discussion with their healthcare provider.

TAKEAWAY

• Overall, 91.2% of users reported at least one contributing factor in two or more categories and 68.3% in three or more categories.
• Lifestyle, psychological, and medication-related factors were the most frequently reported combination of categories in 39.9% of users.

IN PRACTICE

"For healthcare professionals, the tool supports efficient, consistent and guideline-compliant consultation. This structured evaluation reduces variation in care and facilitates tailored referrals o lifestyle interventions, mental health services, social support, obesity specialists or other healthcare providers. For patients, systematic assessment of obesity-related factors can improve understanding and reduce self-blame and stigma by acknowledging biological, behavioral, psychological and social contributors, alongside lifestyle factors," the authors wrote.

SOURCE

This study was led by Elisabeth F.C. van Rossum, Obesity Center CGG, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was published online on September 01, 2026, in Nature Reviews Endocrinology.

LIMITATIONS

No limitations were provided for this study.

DISCLOSURES

Some authors reported serving as principal investigators in clinical trials; receiving speaker fees, honoraria, meeting support, or royalties from WebMD/Medscape and/or various other pharmaceutical companies or organizations.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.