Study: Doctors show less respect for obese patients, impacting care

A new journal article suggests that doctors aren't immune from societal prejudice against obesity, and may in fact harbor attitudes that cause them to treat obese patients less effectively than their slimmer peers. Administrators, take note: this attitude problem could be playing a role in helping such patients improve their health status and avoid serious adverse events.

The study, which was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, involved asking 40 doctors to fill out a survey regarding their attitudes toward obese patients they had seen. Researchers found that, among 238 patients discussed, each 10-unit increase in body-mass index added 14 percent higher prevalence of low respect toward that patient.

Researchers say they aren't sure how these negative attitudes might impact care. However, they note that other studies have found that such perceptions may cause physicians to give obese patients less information about their condition, which in turn, could impact their health outcome.

Previous research has also documented that physicians have similar negative perceptions of alcoholics, drug users and HIV patients, observers note.

To learn more about this issue:
- read this HealthDay News piece

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