Obesity & Weight Management - Israel
Managing obesity: a survey of attitudes
and practices among Israeli primary care physicians
Weight Loss Study Aim
To document and assess Israeli family physicians' (FPs) knowledge, attitudes
and practices regarding the management of overweight and obesity.
Weight Loss Study Method
Anonymous questionnaires were completed by 510 family physicians (82 percent
compliance rate). The questionnaires were distributed in various continuous
medical education sites of FPs in Israel. The measures included attitudes
to and resources of knowledge on weight management, views regarding the
prescription of drugs, approaches to and strategies recommended for weight
loss.
Weight Loss Study Results
In all, 73 percent of FPs viewed weight management as important and reported
that they often treated cases of overweight and obesity, including for
patients without concomitant risk factors. The medical advice most frequently
offered is: increase physical activity, decrease number of total calories
(eat less) and consultation with a dietitian (95, 81 and 58 percent respectively).
However, most responders (72 percent) believed that they had limited efficacy
in treating obesity and considered themselves not well prepared by medical
school to treat overweight patients. Some 60 percent reported feeling
that they have insufficient knowledge regarding nutritional issues. Regarding
pharmacotherapy for treating obesity, only 66 percent knew the drugs'
prescription indications. However, the vast majority (87 percent) knew
about the gradual increase of weight after stopping drug treatment.
Weight Loss Study Conclusion
Knowledge gaps and ambivalent attitudes toward obesity management were
found. More education focusing on obesity, from medical school to post-graduate
learning, seems warranted based on these findings.
Source: International Journal of Obesity
(2002)
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