Do Overweight Doctors Less Likely To Help Overweight Patients lose Weight?
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Do Overweight Doctors Less Likely To Help Overweight Patients lose Weight?
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Forums » Off duty » General » Do Overweight Doctors Less Likely To Help Overweight Patients lose Weight?
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Do Overweight Doctors Less Likely To Help Overweight Patients lose Weight?
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Re: Do Overweight Doctors Less Likely To Help Overweight Patients lose Weight?
posted at 13/4/2012 7:21 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 340
First: 12/7/2010 Last: 24/5/2013 |
It's not because they are overweight, that they will be less likely to help patients (because everybody loves dishing it out and not taking any in return). I think the problem has more to do with the overweight patient not taking his/her overweight doctor seriously - and for good reason! If I needed to drop a couple, I'd like to hear about it from a doctor who looks the part to tell me that (or is on the way at least!). I need to know that it is possible, that s/he believes it and practises it too. We have a doctor here who is tipping the scales and it really annoys a medic friend of mine a great deal (you know somebody called for a consult when you can hear him huffing and puffing down the ward before you actually see him!). I didn't understand why she got all emotional over it until she pointed out the hypocrisy. It's like telling a patient in your smoke filled OPD room that s/he should quit smoking (all while twirling a cigarette between your fingers). On a side note, in retrospect, I realize now that all the dentists I ever met had lovely teeth and the dermatologists had perfect skin! They practised what they preached! |
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Re: Do Overweight Doctors Less Likely To Help Overweight Patients lose Weight?
posted at 13/4/2012 10:48 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 2955
First: 10/3/2009 Last: 26/5/2013 |
You clout with patients comes from your intrinsic power not from a certificate on the wall. Walk the walk; don't just talk the talk. My consultation room shows patients I walk the walk. |
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Re: Do Overweight Doctors Less Likely To Help Overweight Patients lose Weight?
posted at 11/6/2012 3:44 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 645
First: 2/2/2011 Last: 22/5/2013 |
Using a national cross-sectional survey of 500 primary care physicians conducted between 9 February and 1 March 2011, the objective of this study was to assess the impact of physician BMI on obesity care, physician self-efficacy, perceptions of role-modeling weight-related health behaviors, and perceptions of patient trust in weight loss advice. We found that physicians with normal BMI were more likely to engage their obese patients in weight loss discussions as compared to overweight/obese physicians (30% vs. 18%, P = 0.010). Physicians with normal BMI had greater confidence in their ability to provide diet (53% vs. 37%, P = 0.002) and exercise counseling (56% vs. 38%, P = 0.001) to their obese patients. A higher percentage of normal BMI physicians believed that overweight/obese patients would be less likely to trust weight loss advice from overweight/obese doctors (80% vs. 69%, P = 0.02). Physicians in the normal BMI category were more likely to believe that physicians should model healthy weight-related behaviors—maintaining a healthy weight (72% vs. 56%, P = 0.002) and exercising regularly (73% vs. 57%, P = 0.001). The probability of a physician recording an obesity diagnosis (93% vs. 7%, P < 0.001) or initiating a weight loss conversation (89% vs. 11%,P ≤ 0.001) with their obese patients was higher when the physicians' perception of the patients' body weight met or exceeded their own personal body weight. These results suggest that more normal weight physicians provided recommended obesity care to their patients and felt confident doing so. |
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Re: Do Overweight Doctors Less Likely To Help Overweight Patients lose Weight?
posted at 21/6/2012 8:14 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 645
First: 2/2/2011 Last: 22/5/2013 |
These are interesting questions that are now being asked by medical researchers.According to new research on the topic, a doctor’s BMI can in fact impact on how they treat their overweight and obese patients. Sara Bleich and her colleagues from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Medical Institutions in Baltimore found that doctors with a normal BMI were more likely to initiate a discussion on weight loss with their overweight patients compared with doctors who were overweight or obese themselves. |
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Re: Do Overweight Doctors Less Likely To Help Overweight Patients lose Weight?
posted at 21/6/2012 9:01 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1791
First: 7/3/2009 Last: 25/5/2013 |
We can go on asking similar questions: Will smoking doctors help a smoker to quit smoking? Will doctors who eat nhealthy foods be able to help patients with a balanced healthy diet? Etc,etc... It is true one should try to set an example, but it is not necessarily the rule that one cannot help a patient by not being a role model.
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Forums » Off duty » General » Do Overweight Doctors Less Likely To Help Overweight Patients lose Weight?
