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Physicians Providing Less Help with Weight Issues, Compared with a Decade Ago
Physicians are doing less patient counseling for weight problems now than they were a decade ago, according to the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Despite increased prevalence of overweight in the United States and a concomitant rise in diabetes, weight counseling was offered in only 6.2 percent of office visits in 2007-2008, down from 7.8 percent of visits in 1995-1996. Previous studies have shown that overweight physicians are particularly reluctant to provide guidance on weight loss for their patients.
References
- Kraschenewski JL, Sciamanna CN, Stuckey HL, et al. A silent response to the obesity epidemic: decline in US physician weight counseling. Med Care. Published ahead of print October 7, 2012
- Bleich SN, Bennett WL, Gudzune KA, Cooper LA. Impact of physician BMI on obesity care and beliefs. Obesity. 2012;20:999-1005.
