In a nationally representative June 2025 survey of 1,693 Finnish adults, only 3.5% reported current GLP-1 medication use and 2.0% past use, while 13.5% expressed future interest. Critically, approximately 40% of clinically eligible individuals with obesity (BMI ≥30) reported zero interest. Multivariable regression identified the strongest predictors of current, past, or potential use as BMI ≥30, repeated weight-loss attempts, experiences of weight-based discrimination, self-blame, and hopeful perceptions of GLP-1 efficacy. Higher household income (>€70,000) and female sex emerged as additional bivariate correlates. Concern about serious health risks independently reduced likelihood of use.
The 40% non-interest figure among people with obesity is the headline finding here, cutting against a narrative that demand for semaglutide and tirzepatide is uniformly voracious. This suggests supply-side barriers alone don't explain low uptake — attitudinal, psychological, and risk-perception factors are substantial gatekeepers. The income gradient is unsurprising given these drugs' cost, but the role of prior discrimination and self-blame points to a psychological burden that shapes medical decision-making independently of clinical need.
Limitations are real: this is cross-sectional, self-reported, and conducted in a single Nordic welfare state with universal healthcare, limiting generalizability to the US or lower-income contexts. The 19% combined use-plus-interest rate nonetheless signals meaningful population-level demand growth ahead. Clinicians should approach GLP-1 conversations with awareness that hesitancy, not just access, is a major friction point.