A comparison of physicians' attitudes toward obesity with patients' perceptions of physicians' attitudes toward obesity

The purpose of the study was to compare physicians' attitudes toward obesity with patients' perceptions of physicians' attitudes toward obesity. The study demonstrated that physicians' attitudes toward obesity were not accurately perceived by their patients.;Twenty-six physicians and 26 patients at Gundersen Clinic and Family Practice Clinic in La Crosse, Wisconsin participated in the project. The Bray Attitude Toward Obesity Scale was used to assess attitudes toward obesity. Physicians were given a questionnaire to complete and they were asked to give a questionnaire to the next patient they saw seeking primary treatment for obesity or treatment for obesity secondary to another medical condition.;Physicians reported their own attitudes toward obesity. Patients reported their own attitudes toward obesity and also how they perceived their physicians' attitudes toward obesity. The physician's (a) age, (b) gender, (c) current weight, (d) experience practicing medicine, and (e) education regarding obesity were analyzed for correlations with both physicians' attitudes and patients' perceptions of physicians' attitudes toward obesity.;Findings indicated a significant difference between physicians' attitudes toward obesity and patients' perceptions of physicians' attitudes toward obesity. Physicians reported more favorable attitudes toward obesity than what their patients perceived. Ten of the 21 items on the Bray Attitude Toward Obesity Scale showed a significant difference between physicians' reports and patients' perceptions of physicians' reports. There were no significant correlations between the physician's (a) age, (b) gender, (c) current weight, (d) experience practicing medicine, and (e) education regarding obesity and physicians' attitudes toward obesity. There were also no significant correlations with the above variables and patients' perceptions of physicians' attitudes toward obesity.;The findings demonstrated that physicians' attitudes toward obesity were not accurately perceived by their patients. Physicians reported more favorable attitudes toward obesity than what patients perceived their physicians to report.