Obesity causes illnesses, and those in charge of recognizing those illnesses are usually the family doctors. A survey conducted among 500 doctors in the United States found that only 7% of those with a weight problem would assist their overweight patients in losing weight; among the doctors with normal weight, 93% would guide the patients toward weight loss.
Is your doctor overweight? Don’t be sure you can consult with him regarding your weight problem: a new survey conducted among hundreds of American family doctors found that overweight doctors will skim over the overweight issue and won’t bother recommending weight loss to their patients. The research was published in an issue of the journal “Obesity”.
The research was conducted in Johns Hopkins University, with 500 doctors participating. The doctors were asked how much they believe they can treat their patient’s overweight problem and how much will their patients trust them regarding the issue of losing weight. The results showed that doctors with normal weight were more likely than those who were overweight to be a source of weight loss guidance for their overweight patients: 30% of the normal weight doctors talked to their patients about the subject, compared to 18% of the overweight doctors; 80% of the normal weight doctors believed that the patients trust their recommendations regarding their weight, compared to 69% of the overweight doctors.
Regarding exercise, 53% of the normal weight doctors believed they could recommend exercise to their patients as a way to lose weight, compared to 37% of the overweight doctors. However, the most significant difference was in the way the doctors assessed their patient’s weight: 93% of the doctors with equal or lower weight of their patients diagnosed them as being overweight, compared to 7% of the overweight doctors, most of whom did not address their patient’s problem.
The United States obesity epidemic keeps breaking records: 34% of the residents in the land of opportunity are overweight, which is defined as having a 30+ BMI. Being overweight increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and some types of cancer. Research shows that a morbidly obese person (40+ BMI, or 35+ BMI with existing obesity-related disease) will die an average of 10 years earlier than someone with normal weight. Every excess 15 kg above the normal weight increases the risk for early mortality by 30%.
My doctor is not overweight and is a habitual jogger. On my last visit I witnessed three young ladies doing clerical work, registering incoming patients, scheduling appointments, etc. All three were more than 30 pounds overweight. My doctor’s young nurse came for me, she was also more than 30 pounds overweight. During this semi-annual appointment I was told I should lose five pounds. I am a cardiac case but even so, at 82 and 5’7” I weighed 160 which I thought to be reasonable, I have weighed close to 160 for the past 50 years or better, I have seen this same doctor for the past 15 years, weighing close to 160 at each visit during which time he never mentioned my weight. I thought of telling him how about your nurse? how about those young receptionists in the outer office? But I did not. Being a good patient, I have reduced my weight an extra pound, lost six pounds instead of five, Today I weigh 154. I hope this will satisfy my doctor at my next visit but he will likely think of something else.
I have to agree, when I saw a lady dr who was very tall & thin she talked every time I saw her about losing weight. When I switched to another lady dr, (who is overweight) she has never mentioned it ever. I wonder what she will say next time I go for a check up weighing a lot less.