OBJECTIVES: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1) have demonstrated popularity among obesity medications, yet little is known about the behaviors and characteristics associated with current versus previous GLP-1 users.

METHODS: 109,126 US adults from an online health community responded to a survey on their experiences with weight management strategies in October 2023. They were asked about weight management tools such as dieting, exercise, self management tools such as food diaries, in-person and on-line support programs, oral prescription medication, and injectable prescription medication. Individuals were classified as never, current or previous users of GLP-1 medications and compared across weight status, demographic characteristics, and their weight management strategies.

RESULTS: 9888 (10%) previously used or are currently using GLP-1 medications to manage their weight. Users are more likely to be Black (11.7%) or Hispanic (11.5%), versus never users (4.2%, 5.0%), respectively. Compared to previous users, current users are more likely to have private insurance (75.1% vs. 63.7%) and focus on losing >10 pounds (69.8% vs. 57.9%) in the past 6 months. Previous users are less likely to be actively using diet, exercise, self management tools, oral prescription medication, and subscription digital or in-person support groups to manage their weight, but are more likely to report having tried those same weight management tools in the past, a concern given (32%) are still dissatisfied and (27.5%) are very dissatisfied with their weight; half (53.7%) of previous users have a BMI that classifies them as obese.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that insurance coverage may play a crucial role in determining access to GLP-1 medications. Beyond access, future research should prioritize investigating the obstacles to accessing and maintaining weight management strategies that are crucial for patients using GLP-1 medications, including ensuring that patients can sustain these strategies after they discontinue GLP-1 medication use.