Obesity diagnosis may depend on physicians^ weight. page 1
oblivion
30th January 2012, 11:31 PM
A physician's body mass index (BMI) may have an impact on how he or she cares for overweight and obese patients, according to a nationwide survey.
Physicians with normal BMIs were more likely to engage their patients in weight-loss conversations compared with those who were overweight or obese (30% versus 18%, P=0.010), reported Sara Bleich, PhD, and colleagues from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Medical Institutions in Baltimore.
The study, published online in Obesity, also found normal weight physicians had more confidence in their ability to provide counseling on diet (53% versus 37%, P=0.002) and exercise (56% versus 38%, P=0.001) compared with their overweight or obese colleagues.
My first thought was that maybe an overweight doctor would feel a bit hypocritical when talking to a patient about losing weight.
The results showed that normal-weight physicians were more likely to believe that doctors should model weight-related behaviors, such as maintaining a healthy weight (72% versus 56%, P=0.002) and exercising regularly (73% versus 57%, P=0.001) compared with their overweight or obese counterparts.
Those with healthy weights also said they believed that overweight or obese patients would be less likely to trust advice given by a physician who also was overweight or obese (79% versus 69%, P=0.03).
A physician's self-impression also seems to be a factor in weight loss counseling. Doctors were more likely to record a diagnosis of obesity (93% versus 7%, P<0.001) or start a weight loss conversation (89% versus 11%, P≤0.001) if they perceived the patient's body weight met or exceeded their own. These factors remained significant even after adjustment for covariates.
However, obese and overweight physicians had higher self-efficacy when prescribing weight-related medications (26% versus 18%, P=0.043). They also were more likely to think they were successful in helping their patients lose weight, although the actual percentage was very low (5% versus 2%, P=0.034). These remained significant following multivariate analysis.
If this translates to other conditions, predispositions, or behaviors that a doctor and patient might share, then it sounds like patients are better off with physicians with whom they have little in common.
More here: http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/Obesity/30906
Physicians with normal BMIs were more likely to engage their patients in weight-loss conversations compared with those who were overweight or obese (30% versus 18%, P=0.010), reported Sara Bleich, PhD, and colleagues from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Medical Institutions in Baltimore.
The study, published online in Obesity, also found normal weight physicians had more confidence in their ability to provide counseling on diet (53% versus 37%, P=0.002) and exercise (56% versus 38%, P=0.001) compared with their overweight or obese colleagues.
My first thought was that maybe an overweight doctor would feel a bit hypocritical when talking to a patient about losing weight.
The results showed that normal-weight physicians were more likely to believe that doctors should model weight-related behaviors, such as maintaining a healthy weight (72% versus 56%, P=0.002) and exercising regularly (73% versus 57%, P=0.001) compared with their overweight or obese counterparts.
Those with healthy weights also said they believed that overweight or obese patients would be less likely to trust advice given by a physician who also was overweight or obese (79% versus 69%, P=0.03).
A physician's self-impression also seems to be a factor in weight loss counseling. Doctors were more likely to record a diagnosis of obesity (93% versus 7%, P<0.001) or start a weight loss conversation (89% versus 11%, P≤0.001) if they perceived the patient's body weight met or exceeded their own. These factors remained significant even after adjustment for covariates.
However, obese and overweight physicians had higher self-efficacy when prescribing weight-related medications (26% versus 18%, P=0.043). They also were more likely to think they were successful in helping their patients lose weight, although the actual percentage was very low (5% versus 2%, P=0.034). These remained significant following multivariate analysis.
If this translates to other conditions, predispositions, or behaviors that a doctor and patient might share, then it sounds like patients are better off with physicians with whom they have little in common.
More here: http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/Obesity/30906
nostrum
30th January 2012, 11:33 PM
:yes: pick a skinny doc... one that doesn't smoke, either, methinks
borealis
31st January 2012, 03:43 PM
OTOH, some very healthy doctors can be dismissive of patients with problems the physician views as self-inflicted. I've known doctors to prescribe weight loss or diet changes to patients who turned out to have an unrelated medical condition. Which isn't to say the patients shouldn't be counselled on weight loss strategies, but their overweight shouldn't be the first and only consideration when diagnosing a complaint.
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