Are physicians equipped to address the obesity epidemic? Knowledge and attitudes of internal medicine residents

140Citations
Citations of this article
101Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.
Get full text

Abstract

Background. To analyze whether internists are suited for their role in treating the growing numbers of obese patients, we surveyed residents about their knowledge and attitudes regarding obesity. Previous assessments have not analyzed familiarity with obesity measurement tools or the correlation between knowledge and attitudes. Methods. We administered a survey to 87 internal medicine residents in two urban, university-based residency programs. Results. Almost all respondents understood the medical consequences of obesity, but 60% did not know the minimum BMI for diagnosing obesity, 69% did not recognize waist circumference as a reasonable measure of obesity, and 39% incorrectly reported their own BMI. Although nearly all respondents agreed that treating obesity was important, only 30% reported treatment success. Forty-four percent felt qualified to treat obese patients, and 31% reported treatment to be futile. Knowledge and attitudes were not correlated. Rasch analysis of knowledge and attitude subscales showed satisfactory model fit and item reliability of at least 0.96. Conclusions. Despite solid knowledge of the comorbid conditions associated with obesity, residents have a poor grasp of the tools necessary to identify obesity. They also have negative opinions about their skills for treating obese patients. Residency training not only must improve knowledge of obesity measurement tools but also must address physicians' negative attitudes toward obesity treatment. © 2003 American Health Foundation and Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Block, J. P., DeSalvo, K. B., & Fisher, W. P. (2003). Are physicians equipped to address the obesity epidemic? Knowledge and attitudes of internal medicine residents. Preventive Medicine, 36(6), 669–675. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0091-7435(03)00055-0

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free