Doctors way 'too busy' for weight loss
Email Print Normal font Large font July 16, 2006 - 1:24PM
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AdvertisementThe family doctor should help people lose weight but they probably don't have the time to provide effective advice, according to a new survey of patients.
A study of patients in NSW has found that 78 per cent believed their GP had a role in helping with weight management.
However, fewer than half, 46 per cent, felt that these doctors had enough time to provide effective weight loss advice - a concern shared by GPs themselves.
The study, which involved questioning people in five GP waiting rooms, sought to find what weight-related advice patients expected from their doctors.
Co-author Dr Daisy Tan, from Sydney's Fairfield Hospital, said most patients expected to get lifestyle guidelines, particularly dietary and physical activity advice.
This kind of support was favoured over medications and referral to a dietitian, Dr Tan said.
Patients involved in the study, published in The Medical Journal of Australia, said regular check-ups would be very useful for weight loss management.
Levels of obesity - recognised as a chronic health condition - have risen to epidemic proportions in Australia over the past two decades.
Of the 227 patients questioned, 81 were obese but a startling 28 said they had not been advised to lose weight by their doctor.
Almost 70 were regarded as overweight but only 14 of these had received weight loss advice.
Dr Tan said these results were "interesting" but warned that they relied on patient recall and might not be accurate.
"But they may indicate that GPs should be more proactive in instituting preventive health measures," she wrote.
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