Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page
OpenStax Logo
Pharmacology for Nurses

Introduction

Pharmacology for NursesIntroduction
Figure 32.1 The digestive system breaks down food into nutrients that can be absorbed into the bloodstream to give the body energy and the ability to grow and repair itself. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY NC-SA 4.0 license)

Chapter Outline

Introduction

In the United States, almost 75% of adults age 20 or older are classified as having overweight or obesity based on their body mass index (BMI). Almost 20% of children ages 2–19 live with obesity (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2022). According to the World Health Organization, over the past 50 years the global incidence of obesity has tripled (Yadav & Jawahar, 2023). The body of evidence notes that disparities exist by race and ethnicity, age, educational level, and environmental factors. Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce many health risks, especially those associated with obesity such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Overweight and obesity may lead to various serious health issues for people of all ages. An alarming consequence is the monetary impact affecting people with overweight and obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2022b), obesity-related medical costs in the United Sates were an estimated $173 billion annually (about $530 per person in the United States). The ramifications also include a loss of productivity due to absenteeism. The CDC estimates that the national loss of productivity costs between $3.4 and $6.4 billion annually (about $20 per person in the United States).

The detrimental consequences of overweight and obesity on the health and wellness of people, compounded with financial burdens, lead to a critical need for weight management. Proper weight management starts with understanding the pathophysiology of overweight and obese conditions and the comorbidities. This understanding must also consider genetic and lifestyle factors to promote optimal weight management. Pharmaceutical agents to promote weight loss and bariatric procedures may be initiated when lifestyle and behavioral modifications are ineffective at maintaining a healthy weight. All of these aspects will be discussed in this chapter.

PreviousNext
Order a print copy
Citation/Attribution
Reuse and redistribution of this content in digital or print format:
  • This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's prior written permission.
  • This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, which means that you can reuse and modify the material only for noncommercial purposes, must attribute OpenStax, and must distribute any derivative works under the same license.
  • Any commercial printing of this textbook, including using a local or custom printer, must be approved by OpenStax, and proper citation provided.
  • OpenStax-copyrighted images, activities, assessments, and similar components of this book are subject to the same licensing – CC-BY-NC-SA. They can be used for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Commercial use requires permission.
  • Permission requests: Anyone who intends to incorporate this content (including text, images, and other components) into large language models, use it in AI offerings, use it commercially (including in print), and/or has questions about another use case is welcome to complete our reuse request form.
Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/pharmacology/pages/1-introduction

  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial digital format, then for every page that includes OpenStax content, you must license the derivative work under the same CC-BY-NC-SA license as the original, and include on every digital page view the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/pharmacology/pages/1-introduction

Citation information

The information below includes the information needed to generate citations in most major styles (APA, MLA, etc.); you must reformat and organize the information as needed to fit the requirements of the style. Use the information below to generate a citation. We recommend using a citation tool such as this one.

© Apr 23, 2026 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo, and Rice University name, and Rice University logo trademarks, or wordmarks are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.