Research Project
10228360
Nearly one-third of American adults are obese, defined by a body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m, including 38% of patients with end-stage renal disease awaiting kidney transplant in the United States. Of the over 95,000 patients currently wait listed for kidney transplant, 24% meet the criteria for class 1 obesity (defined as BMI of 30 to < 35 kg/m2) and over 14% meet the criteria for classes 2 or 3 obesity (defined as BMI of 35 to < 40 kg/m2 and ? 40, respectively). Among the many factors taken into consideration during the medical evaluation for kidney transplantation, patient weight often measured by BMI, has emerged as increasingly relevant with many kidney transplant programs defining maximum BMI limits and delaying or denying transplant until weight loss has been achieved. However, there is currently no consensus or standard of practice surrounding kidney transplantation for patients with varying levels of obesity. We propose a Symposium on Obesity and Kidney Transplantation, to convene a multidisciplinary group of clinicians, researchers and allied health professionals (i.e., social workers, nutritionists, dieticians) in the fields of kidney transplantation and obesity as well as patients with obesity awaiting kidney transplantation. The symposium will provide a forum for open discussion of research findings and current practice, with the goal of establishing an agenda for future research at the intersection of these fields. The symposium aims to: 1) elicit patient perspectives on and experiences with regarding the challenges and successes of weight loss and management in preparation for kidney transplantation; 2) provide a forum for sharing research findings and clinical experience related to the intersection of obesity and kidney transplantation; 3) generate a research agenda, including specific research questions, to investigate issues related to obesity and kidney transplantation; and, 4) develop a position statement and manuscript from the symposium discussions and extant literature. We propose to organize, advertise, implement and evaluate the symposium, and disseminate the resulting content. Additionally, we will engage a diverse group of clinicians and researchers in transplantation, obesity, and nutrition, to form a Steering Committee to assist in the planning, execution, evaluation and dissemination of the symposium. In addition, patients with end-stage renal disease who have been evaluated and waitlisted for kidney transplantation and who concurrently suffer from obesity that is delaying transplantation will be recruited as patient partners. Three partnering patients will serve as members of the Steering Committee and will be involved in the planning, implementation, evaluation and dissemination of the symposium. Three additional partnering patients will serve as symposium panelists and will share personal experience with weight loss as a transplant candidate to an audience of clinicians, researchers and allied health professionals. Our anticipated outcomes include an agenda for future research at the intersection of transplantation and obesity, as well as publishing a position statement and manuscript reporting the symposium content.
