The health minister has indicated that GLP-1 RAs will eventually join the PBS, so can we expect commensurate funding for lifestyle interventions?
Failing to fund lifestyle interventions as part of Australia’s obesity management strategy could lead to unintended consequences – like a frailer population – according to an international alliance of exercise and fitness peaks.
The group, which includes AUSactive, the World Obesity Federation and Exercise New Zealand, released a joint position statement on Thursday calling for governments to ensure that, as GLP-1 RA weight loss therapies are scaled, they are supported by subsidised and integrated lifestyle interventions.
It comes just days after health minister Mark Butler confirmed that he saw access to GLP-1s as “reshaping” Australia’s approach to chronic disease into the future.
“The medications … are not a standalone option or ‘magic bullet’,” the joint position statement said.
“They require parallel investment in prevention, particularly to create environments that better support healthy lifestyles in the long-term and provide support to help people with obesity manage the condition and make the physical activity and nutritional lifestyle changes that are needed for the drugs to be effective and safe.”
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AUSactive CEO Ken Griffin told The Medical Republic that because GLP-1 RAs encouraged weight loss by supressing appetite, patients could easily lose lean muscle mass rather than fat or degrade their bone health if they did not have the correct diet and exercise support.
“We wouldn’t want to be in a situation where we end up achieving the primary objective, which is a reduction in obesity and the health issues that come with that, but then end up with this bigger issue later on of a frailer population and one that’s more prone to fractures,” he said.
Funding for physical activity and nutritional supports like accredited exercise programs should be “essential”, Mr Griffin said.
“This needs to be a holistic thing, because you’ve got often long-term patterns that are part of the obesity challenge,” he said. “Wrapping that support around on the nutrition and on the exercise level is really important for someone to come out the other side of that journey that they’re on, healthy and with an enduring impact, rather than just a temporary one.”
