The obesity as a prevalent health topic in economic journalism: coverage analysis of CNBC

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity has gained increasing relevance in the economic sphere, particularly following the emergence in recent years of new and revolutionary drugs, whose impact has been significant for the companies that have introduced them to the market. Methodology: This study conducts an in-depth examination of how the U.S. economic media outlet CNBC reports on obesity as a public health issue, through a content analysis of articles published during the first quarter of 2025. The research adopts a focus that prioritizes newsworthiness within a context characterized by dynamism and constant evolution. Results: The findings reveal that, in CNBC’s coverage, obesity is currently associated with GLP-1 medications and the companies that manufacture them, with two main players dominating the market: the Danish firm Novo Nordisk and the American company Eli Lilly. Discussion: The results indicate that CNBC frames obesity less as a public health problem and more as an economic opportunity linked to the pharmaceutical industry. Its discourse aligns closely with corporate and pharmaceutical interests, contributing to the normalization of the medicalization of the issue. Conclusions: CNBC’s media portrayal of obesity presents a vision of the disease centered on the high business potential of GLP-1 drugs and the interests of the major pharmaceutical companies that develop them, as well as on the competition among these firms to lead the market. This representation contributes to reinforcing a narrative in which the disease is commodified, shifting the focus away from preventive care and toward the efficacy of these new and disruptive medications and the economic gains they generate.