Obesity experts shift focus from short-term weight loss to long-term health

China's battle against obesity is moving beyond the scale and toward a broader vision of long-term health, according to experts gathered at the 2026 China Obesity Congress in Beijing, which ran from Friday to Sunday.

Ji Linong, executive president of the congress and professor at Peking University People's Hospital, gave a speech in which he summarized the findings of a report by the organization, saying that the effectiveness of obesity interventions should no longer be measured primarily by short-term weight reduction. Instead, metabolic improvements, better control of related comorbidities, cardiovascular and kidney protection, and adherence to treatment regimens are equally vital indicators of success.

Ji said that a paradigm shift began in 2021, when GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide demonstrated average weight reductions of 15 percent along with clear cardiovascular advantages. No longer was obesity a matter of willpower, as the treatment proved to be a safe, long-term pharmaceutical option.

Ji went on to map the treatment's evolution, highlighting revised medical guidelines, newly opened specialized clinics, and investment. According to him, obesity care has transformed from a public health issue into one that could be addressed within a framework introduced during his speech called the Chronic Care Model, a new guide for physicians and medical professionals.

Yet despite these advances, his report identified six obstacles that continue to hinder obesity care in China. Many patients still misunderstand the nature of medical weight loss, often equating it with cosmetic slimming. Lifestyle interventions alone prove difficult to sustain, with most patients who rely solely on diet and exercise regaining lost weight within about four years. Social stigma remains deeply entrenched, fueling shame and depression and discouraging individuals from seeking professional help.

There is also widespread confusion about drug therapies, with patients frequently expecting rapid results and stopping medications prematurely. Issues of drug tolerance and accessibility limit long-term treatment continuity, while the broader healthcare system lacks adequate support structures for chronic disease management, and doctor-patient communication often falls short in empathy and motivational engagement.

Ji drew particular attention to the dual nature of weight-related stigma and aesthetic pressures, warning that attempts to lose weight driven by shame and escape from social stigma are the least sustainable and carry the highest risk of relapse. He urged medical practitioners to accept patients' initial concerns while gradually steering them toward intrinsic motivations rooted in health and quality of life. "The health care professionals basically need to learn the communication skills needed for obesity care from scratch due to the strong social and psychological nature of obesity," he said.

To support this shift, the China Obesity Education Initiative led by Ji has developed a set of educational toolkits designed for frontline health workers, including patient self-management brochures, communication scripts for empathetic consultations, and standardized anti-discrimination messaging. These resources are intended to help clinicians apply motivational interviewing techniques and build the kind of trust that encourages long-term commitment to treatment.

He also emphasized that obesity medicine remains a relatively immature field, and he called for greater international collaboration to speed up research and avoid redundant trial-and-error.