New Scale May Capture Emotional Burden of Obesity

The Weight and Emotions Scale (WES) aims to assess how obesity or overweight, and their treatment, affect patients' emotional well-being.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Researchers have developed a new 16-item patient-reported outcome measure called the Weight and Emotions Scale (WES) that can be used in clinical trials, observational studies, and clinical practice to assess the impact of obesity or overweight and the benefits of treatment on patients' emotional functioning. The scale was developed using qualitative interviews, a literature review, and input from clinicians specializing in obesity medicine.

Why it matters

To date, there has been a lack of robust patient-reported outcome measures that can capture the emotional burden of obesity or overweight. The WES aims to fill this gap and provide a tool to better understand the impact of these conditions and their treatments on patients' emotional well-being.

The details

The WES was developed through a multi-step process that included qualitative interviews with 40 participants exiting a phase 2 retatrutide trial, a targeted literature review, and input from three obesity medicine clinicians. A draft version of the 16-item scale was then evaluated in cognitive interviews with 20 participants with obesity or overweight. Participants provided feedback on the instructions, response options, recall period, and overall format, and confirmed the relevance, clarity, and importance of the scale items.

  • The study was published online in Obesity Science and Practice on February 12, 2026.

The players

Chisom Kanu

The lead author of the study, an employee and shareholder of Eli Lilly and Company.

Eli Lilly and Company

The pharmaceutical company that funded the study and employs several of the authors.

Evidera

The research organization that was paid by Eli Lilly and Company to conduct the study and employ two of the authors.

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What they’re saying

“To our knowledge, the WES is the first [patient-reported outcome] measure that can facilitate a robust assessment of the impact of obesity or overweight and the benefits of treatment on patients' emotional functioning. The WES may be used in clinical trials, observational studies, and clinical practice.”

— Study authors (Obesity Science and Practice)

What’s next

The researchers plan to further validate the WES in larger and more diverse patient populations to ensure its reliability and validity for assessing the emotional impact of obesity or overweight and their treatments.

The takeaway

The development of the WES represents an important step forward in capturing the emotional burden of obesity and overweight, which can help inform clinical decision-making and the evaluation of new treatments targeting these conditions.