Research exploring perceptions and barriers for people living with obesity, healthcare providers and employers to access obesity care have been explored as part of the ACTION-IO (Awareness, Care and Treatment in Obesity MaNagement) study (Kaplan et al., 2018). Amongst a sample of 3008 adults living with obesity, only 23% reported 10% weight loss during the previous 3 years, and whilst nearly two thirds (65%) recognised obesity as a disease, only 54% reported that they were worried about their future health. This highlights that the extensive evidence demonstrating that obesity is a risk factor for chronic illness and disease including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and 13 types of cancer is resonating with the general population.

Population differences demonstrate that there is a higher prevalence of obesity amongst subgroups of the population such as more deprived communities and minority ethnic groups. As such, interventions that target those subgroups are needed. In Chicago, the highest prevalence of obesity is amongst African American adults, and there is likewise, under-representation in obesity services and treatment. There is a need to better understand the perceptions and behaviours relating to obesity, as well as the barriers to accessing treatment amongst African American Adults living with obesity in Chicago.

The project aim is to examine obesity-related perceptions, behaviours, and barriers to obesity treatment amongst African American adults living with obesity in Chicago.

This project will use Scaled Insights 's novel Behavioural Artificial Intelligence solution, to gather and use insights to develop appropriate actions to address perceptions such as responsibility for weight loss as well as measures of wellbeing and Quality of Life, behaviours (i.e. eating habits, dieting, exercise tracking) and barriers (e.g. cost of healthy food, lack of motivation, preference for unhealthy food) to obesity treatment.

As such, this project has several goals:

1.To understand the perceptions and behaviours of African American adults living with obesity in Chicago

2.To understand the barriers to accessing effective treatment and support amongst African American adults living with obesity in Chicago

3.To examine the use of a Behavioural Artificial Intelligence solution to predict perceptions, behaviours and barriers to accessing treatment amongst African American adults living with obesity in Chicago

4.To examine the use of behavioural nudges to increase uptake of effective obesity treatment amongst African American adults living with obesity in Chicago

The overall project aimed at examining obesity-related perceptions, behaviours and barriers to obesity treatment will consist of 3 phases.

Phases 1 and 2 are part of this application

Implementation Steps

Step 1: Development of three online surveys for African American adults living with obesity in the South Side of Chicago , healthcare professionals and employers in Chicago to examine perceptions, barriers, and barriers to obesity treatment. These data will be assigned a non-identifiable number which will be matched to any demographic and behavioural characteristics collated on participants (e.g., gender, age, zip code).

Step 2: Survey data will be analysed using descriptive and statistical inferences testing to examine differences based on participant characteristics (e.g. gender, age, zip code). These data will be assigned a non-identifiable number which will be matched to any demographic and behavioural characteristics collated on patients (e.g., gender, age, zip code).

Step 3: SI will analyse the data from the three surveys using their Behavioural AI solution to identify personality clusters as a means of predicting perceptions, behaviours, and barriers to obesity treatment. These data will be assigned a non-identifiable number which will be matched to any demographic and behavioural characteristics collated on patients (e.g., gender, age, zip code).

The resident or fellow will go to South Side Churches and Community centers , recruit , consent AA adults with obesity ,email the Redcap survey and encourage the individuals to complete it online on their cell phone or on computers /Ipad provided by the PI

The resident will also have the opportunity to pursue this study and be involved in the phase 3 of he study , which will start once the data collection and analysis has been completed as outlined in the description of phase 1 and 2 above

Once the data collected has been analyzed by Scale Insight 's AI company, depending on the results , the resident may have the opportunity to present the data at a local or national conference