Older adults with obesity struggle to access appropriate social care due to weight-related barriers and discrimination, according to new research from Anglia Ruskin University and the University of West London.

The study, published in PLOS One, involved in-depth interviews with 33 older adults with obesity and revealed significant gaps in care provision that contribute to health inequalities. The researchers explained the significance of this demographic with figures from the latest Health Survey for England: 36% of adults aged 55 to 64 and 35 percent of adults aged 64 to 74 were living with obesity in 2022.

Some participants reported feeling judged or dismissed by care providers due to their weight, which contributed to reluctance to seek help in certain situations. Physical barriers also present major obstacles, as standard care equipment and facilities frequently fail to accommodate individuals with higher body weights, resulting in inadequate support.

The study categorized participants into two groups: those with “unexpressed needs” who were reluctant to request help or didn’t perceive their difficulties, and those with “expressed needs that were sub-optimally satisfied” who either didn’t qualify for eligibility criteria or received inadequate existing social care.

According to the study, participants with higher levels of obesity commonly described unmet needs related to emotional distress and environmental barriers — including stress, frustration, social discrimination, isolation, feeling like a burden, limited access to support, lack of housing adaptations and safety, boredom and inability to continue hobbies.

Financial hardship emerged as another unmet need, with one participant having lost his full-time job due to pain caused by his obesity.

Lead author Gargi Ghosh, PhD, emphasized that “the hidden challenges faced by these individuals often go unrecognized, leading to unmet need and increased vulnerability.” The research suggests that policy reforms, training programs addressing weight bias, and development of care plans targeting specific barriers could help address these gaps in service provision.