posted 01/15/03
Looking at a trim, fit physicians, patients are more likely to
think, "This person appears to know what he's talking about.
Patients are less likely to follow the treatment
recommendations of obese rather than non-obese physicians, according to the
results of a new study.
According to lead author Dr. Robert Hash from
Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Georgia, "For some patients, the
perceived health status and health behavior of the physician may be a factor in
the readiness to accept advice and or counseling.”
Previous reports have found that physicians who
practice a particular health behavior are more likely to counsel their patients
about that health behavior. Other reports have found that physicians who try to
improve their own health habits are more likely to advise their patients about
general health habits.
Few studies, however, have looked at whether a
physician's own health status--obese versus non-obese--affects patients'
perceptions of his or her healthcare advice.
To investigate, Dr. Hash and colleagues surveyed
226 patients from five physicians' offices in Georgia. Two male physicians were
classified as obese, with weights of 125 kg and 102 kg. The remaining three
physicians--one man and two women--were not obese.
Overall, patients said they were more receptive
to treatment advice from non-obese physicians than from obese physicians, the
researchers report in the January issue of Preventive Medicine.
This may be because patients looking at a trim,
fit physicians are more likely to think, "This person appears to know what he's
talking about," Dr. Hash said.
Yet, for reasons unknown, the patients were
equally receptive to advice from all five physicians about general weight
control and fitness, the report indicates.
In general, among obese physicians, "the 'do as I
say' mentality is possibly at work," Dr. Hash said. "But...practicing positive
health behaviors is much harder than talking about them."
Source: Diabetes In Control Dot Com: Prev Med
2003;36:41-44.
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