01/02/2026
This World Health Organization (WHO) guidance published in JAMA reinforces what we’ve seen & proved clinically: GLP-1 medications are most effective when they’re delivered within a structured, long-term, holistic obesity care model.
At Temple, our medical weight-loss program—led by Kasie Barrett, FNP-BC, a Certified Weight Management Specialist—has been built around this exact framework from the start.
This is why we provide comprehensive, in-person support at our local clinic and why our telemedicine patients nationwide receive separate, dedicated monthly care-coaching visits focused specifically on effective, safe GLP-1 care.
We don’t treat GLP-1s as a stand-alone solution. Our patients receive:
• Evidence-based GLP-1 therapy when appropriate
• Structured nutrition guidance
• Lifestyle and behavior modification
• Ongoing counseling, monitoring, and long-term planning
This directly aligns with World Health Organization Recommendation #2—that structured behavioral therapy enhances outcomes across semaglutide, tirzepatide, and liraglutide.
Most importantly, this isn’t theoretical or marketing language—our patients are our proof.
Obesity is a chronic, relapsing disease. It deserves comprehensive, compassionate, medically sound care—whether that care happens in-person or through thoughtfully designed telemedicine support!
Obesity affects more than 1 billion people globally and is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a chronic, relapsing disease associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and economic impact.
Today, the WHO published a guideline in JAMA outlining two conditional recommendations around the use and indications of glucagon-like peptide-1 ( )–based therapies for the management of obesity in adults.
Recommendation #1: In adults living with obesity, long-term GLP-1 therapies may be used for weight management. This conditional recommendation is supported by moderate-certainty evidence from ongoing trials for their effectiveness in achieving clinically meaningful weight loss and broad metabolic benefits, together with cost, health system preparedness, and potential equity implications.
Recommendation #2: Those prescribed GLP-1 therapies benefit from structured behavioral therapy, including goal setting for physical activity and diet, energy intake restriction, regular counseling sessions, and ongoing assessment of progress. This conditional recommendation is supported by low-certainty evidence of intensive behavioral therapy enhancing the efficacy of GLP-1 therapies across tirzepatide, semaglutide, and liraglutide.
At 10 AM EST, join WHO for a public, live-streamed webinar about the guideline, co-chaired by JAMA and JAMA Network Editor in Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS.
Read the guideline: https://ja.ma/4rt1CU6
Register for the webinar: https://ja.ma/48CQY5q