Application of the Edmonton Obesity Staging System in a Lifestyle Medicine Clinic: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

The worldwide prevalence of obesity has steadily been on the rise for the past several decades, and this necessitates strategies that go beyond the traditional body mass index (BMI)-based methods. The Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS) offers a more calibrated and clinically useful approach to assessing the multitude of risks attributable to obesity. In this study, we use the EOSS in a primary care-based lifestyle medicine clinic to assess the profile of our patient population and discern which of our patients might be more at risk for obesity-related outcomes. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 960 patients who visited the lifestyle medicine clinic at Prince Sultan Military Medical City in 2023. Data  were obtained from electronic medical records. The patient characteristics were summarized using descriptive and analytical statistics. The cohort primarily consisted of females (70.6%) with a mean age of 39.17 years. The most common comorbid conditions were prediabetes (70.6%) and dyslipidemia (61.8%). EOSS stage classification found 23.6% to be stage 0, 58.8% stage 1,  and 17.6% stage 2; no subjects were stage 3–4. Male gender and age of 40 years and above were significantly had higher EOSS stages, p < 0.001 for each. Moreover, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, and HbA1c were significantly higher in patients with high EOSS stage. These results can assist in promoting the incorporation of EOSS into routine care to improve obesity care and patient outcomes in primary care.