We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Primary care obesity management in Hungary: evaluation of the knowledge, practice and attitudes of family physicians.
- Authors
Rurik, Imre; Torzsa, Péter; Ilyés, István; Szigethy, Endre; Halmy, Eszter; Iski, Gabriella; Kolozsvári, László Róbert; Mester, Lajos; Móczár, Csaba; Rinfel, József; Nagy, Lajos; Kalabay, László
- Abstract
Obesity, a threatening pandemic, has an important public health implication. Before proper medication is available, primary care providers will have a distinguished role in prevention and management. Their performance may be influenced by many factors but their personal motivation is still an under-researched area. Method The knowledge, attitudes and practice were reviewed in this questionnaire study involving a representative sample of 10% of all Hungarian family physicians. In different settings, 521 practitioners (448 GPs and 73 residents/vocational trainees) were questioned using a validated questionnaire. Results The knowledge about multimorbidity, a main consequence of obesity, was balanced. Only 51% of the GPs were aware of the diagnostic threshold for obesity; awareness being higher in cities (60%) and the highest among residents (90%). They also considered obesity an illness rather than an aesthetic issue. There were wider differences regarding attitudes and practice, influenced by the doctors' age, gender, known BMI, previous qualification, less by working location. GPs with qualification in family medicine alone considered obesity management as higher professional satisfaction, compared to physicians who had previously other board qualification (77%vs68%). They measured their patients' waist circumference and waist/hip ratio (72%vs62%) more frequently, provided the obese with dietary advice more often, while this service was less frequent among capital-based doctors who accepted the self-reported body weight dates by patients more frequently / commonly. Similar reduced activity and weight-measurement in outdoor clothing were more typical among older doctors. Diagnosis based on BMI alone was the highest in cities (85%). Consultations were significantly shorter in practices with a higher number of enrolled patients and were longer by female providers who consulted longer with patients about the suspected causes of developing obesity (65%vs44%) and offered dietary records for patients significantly more frequently (65%vs52%). Most of the younger doctors agreed that obesity management was a primary care issue. Doctors in the normal BMI range were unanimous that they should be a model for their patients (94%vs81%). Conclusion More education of primary care physicians, available practical guidelines and higher community involvement are needed to improve the obesity management in Hungary.
- Subjects
HUNGARY; OBESITY treatment; ANALYSIS of variance; CHI-squared test; EPIDEMICS; FACTOR analysis; FISHER exact test; OBESITY; PRIMARY health care; QUESTIONNAIRES; T-test (Statistics); PHYSICIAN practice patterns; BODY mass index; CROSS-sectional method; HEALTH literacy; DATA analysis software; PHYSICIANS' attitudes; DESCRIPTIVE statistics
- Publication
BMC Family Practice, 2013, Vol 14, Issue 1, p156
- ISSN
1471-2296
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1186/1471-2296-14-156