"After Getting Injected to Look Better..." Experts Warn Women in Their 20s and 30s

The Gap Between Actual and Perceived Obesity Is Especially Pronounced Among People in Their 20s and 30s

Experts Advise Against the Use of Obesity Medication by People with Normal Weight

One in five Korean women with a normal weight consider themselves obese. As the gap widens between actual body weight and self-perceived body shape, there is growing concern over the indiscriminate use of obesity drugs.

On August 17, Yonhap News cited the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity, reporting that 18.9% of women with a normal weight perceive themselves as obese. This is based on a self-assessment by adults aged 20 and older who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency from 2022 to 2024. For men with a normal weight, only 4.1% responded in the same way.

According to the criteria of the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity, a BMI of 18.5 to 22.9 is considered normal weight, 23 to 24.9 is classified as pre-obese, and 25 to 29.9 falls into stage 1 obesity. Among women in the pre-obese category, 66.9% considered themselves obese.

The discrepancy between actual body shape and subjective perception was especially pronounced among people aged 20 to 39. In this age group, combining women and men with a normal weight, 15.7% thought of themselves as obese, and among those classified as pre-obese, the rate increased to 54.8%.

Meanwhile, the use of obesity drugs is rising rapidly. According to data from the Drug Utilization Review (DUR) service provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, which Jin-ah Han, a member of the People Power Party, obtained, the number of DUR-checked prescriptions for Mounjaro in the 10 months since its launch in Korea until May this year reached 1,501,161.

By age, people in their 20s and 30s accounted for 794,781 cases, or 52.9% of the total. As drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy are not covered by insurance, it is difficult to determine the exact number of prescriptions, but DUR check data can be used to track prescription trends.

One in five Korean women with a normal weight perceive themselves as obese. Photo by Pixabay

Experts emphasize that while obesity drugs are an effective treatment option for patients with obesity, caution should be exercised when individuals with a normal weight use them for weight loss. The drugs should be used as a treatment for the disease of obesity, not simply as a means for weight loss.

Professor Ryu Young-sang from the Department of Endocrine and Metabolism at Chosun University Hospital stressed, “(Mounjaro and similar drugs) are not medications with minor side effects,” adding, “There have been reports of hospitalizations for nutritional imbalance when normal-weight or elderly individuals used injectables.” He continued, “These drugs are truly effective for treating the disease, but their use in people with a normal weight should be avoided.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.