Survey of 518 employed adults starting tirzepatide finds 32.4% work impairment
The baseline PERCEPTIONS survey describes work impairment and limited employer coverage as reported by 518 employed US adults who were starting tirzepatide for obesity or overweight.
A survey of 518 full-time employed US adults who were starting tirzepatide for obesity or overweight found an average overall work impairment of 32.4%, driven primarily by presenteeism — being at work but less productive — according to baseline results published in the journal Obesity Pillars [1].
The findings come from the PERCEPTIONS survey, an observational, longitudinal, real-world study conducted in the United States. Participants were recruited through clinical sites and specialist recruitment agencies and completed a self-administered electronic survey between June and November 2025 [1].
To take part, people had to be at least 18, employed full time, and have obesity (BMI of 30 or higher) or overweight (BMI of 27 or higher plus at least one obesity-related complication). All were starting tirzepatide for obesity management [1]. Their average age was 46.0 years, average BMI was 38.4, and average time with their employer was 89.8 months, or about 7.5 years [1].
On the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire, mean activity impairment was 43.0% and overall work impairment was 32.4%, driven primarily by presenteeism [1]. The questionnaire captures both time missed from work and reduced productivity while at work; the results point mainly to the second.
Most participants, 80.9%, had employer-provided health insurance. Among them, 55.9% reported that their plan covered obesity medications [1]. Almost all participants — 96.5% — said employer-provided insurance should include coverage for obesity medications, citing improved health, productivity, and management of obesity-related complications. Another 81.7% said such coverage may increase job satisfaction, and 52.3% said they would consider changing jobs in order to receive it [1]. Those answers describe stated intentions in a survey, not a record of people who actually changed jobs.
Tirzepatide is sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound; the study report does not specify which brand the participants used.
Why it matters for patients
For people with obesity who work full time, the results describe a group reporting substantial interference with daily activities and job performance. Because this analysis covers only the period around when participants started treatment, it does not show whether tirzepatide changed work productivity. Results on that have not been reported [1].
The coverage numbers show a gap between what participants had and what they said they needed. About eight in ten had insurance through an employer, but only about 56% of that group reported coverage for obesity medications [1]. Why the others did not report coverage — whether they were turned down, had not checked, or faced another barrier — is not reported.
The survey is not a randomized trial. It captured self-reported experiences from people recruited through clinical sites and recruitment agencies, so the findings may not represent all employed US adults with obesity. It also cannot show that coverage or treatment causes changes in job satisfaction or job switching. Cost, out-of-pocket spending, and the specific types of insurance plans involved were not reported in this analysis.
What happens next
PERCEPTIONS was designed as a longitudinal study, and this publication reports baseline findings only. Follow-up results on how participants' perceptions and work outcomes change over time have not been published [1], and no timeline for them has been disclosed. The baseline paper appears in the September 2026 issue of Obesity Pillars, volume 19 [1].
Sources
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