Local opinion: Public health over quick fixes

The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

As reported in the Daily Star’s May 1 article, there has been a growing popularity of weight-loss drugs in our country, contributing to a 13% increase in prescription drug purchasing. As concerned community members and current public health students, we fear that this push toward a medical solution will place a temporary fix on a problem rooted in many social, political and environmental issues, and ultimately take away from the importance and impact of community-based public health efforts.

Obesity is not simply the result of individual choices; it is shaped by food insecurity, limited access to safe recreational spaces, inadequate health care access, aggressive food marketing, chronic stress and socioeconomic inequality. Yet this growing popularity of GLP-1 medications is shifting the attention away from these root causes and toward a “quick-fix” medical model. GLP-1 medications have undeniably transformed obesity and diabetes treatment. For many patients, GLP-1-type medications improve blood sugar control, reduce cardiovascular risk and lead to significant weight loss. In a country where more than 40% of adults live with obesity (CDC, 2024), these outcomes are meaningful. However, public enthusiasm for GLP-1s has escalated so rapidly that these medications are being portrayed as a singular answer to one of the nation’s most complex public health challenges.

This portrayal is like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound: it works for a short period but is not a sustainable long-term solution. GLP-1 medications have a slew of side effects from both short-term and long-term use, which include nausea, stomach discomfort and loss of bone density due to weight loss (Brennan, 2025). There is also consideration of the product’s time on the market. These medications were first approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the early 2000s. They have been on the market for less than 30 years. A few decades on the market is not enough time to fully develop an understanding of the full scope of effects from these medications. Its dramatic increase in popularity and use exposes more individuals to any potential effects that the medical world is currently unaware of.

The benefits from using the product are also not a certainty. Once the patient ceases use of GLP-1s, the weight gain is more rapid than before, and the indicators for cardiovascular diseases return to their original state within a year and a half (West et al., 2025). Additionally, these products can contribute to the original factors that lead to obesity. Due to the nature of the drug, weight loss can occur without any lifestyle changes, which can inhibit the likelihood of the weight staying off if the patient stops using the medication. On top of this, the prices of GLP-1s can cost up to $1,200 a month (Brennan, 2025). This increase in financial strain for expensive medications can further the socioeconomic challenges that individuals and their families may already be facing.

In order to truly make an impact and target the larger societal factors that impact obesity and health in our nation, we believe that more trust, funding and support should be given toward public health efforts and research. By designing research and interventions that incorporate the culture, needs and strengths of the communities they want to target, we can bring solutions to health issues that are sustainable and relevant to all. In a recent analysis of community-based interventions targeting obesity, they were found to be effective in reducing body weight and preventing and treating obesity within the community (Zeb et al., 2024).

Although GLP-1s can fix immediate issues, they cannot effectively address longstanding issues such as food deserts, poverty or our complex health care system. To truly impact this issue, we must invest in the health of entire communities.