Study shows GPs don’t give the best weight loss advice

By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

Weight-loss advice given by GPs is generally vague, superficial and not supported by scientific evidence, a new study claims.

Oxford University researchers say doctors are ill-prepared to treat the rising population of overweight people, according to new research.

Patients with obesity are missing out on therapies that shed pounds and could add years to their lives.

The notion small changes in behavior - such as taking the stairs more often - can have a large weight loss impact isn't supported by research.

Another common myth was that patients just require the "right mindset" to lose weight.

Physicians lack guidance on which information is helpful for those who want to combat the chronic and relapsing conditions.

As a result, it can be hard to use and implement. Bad experiences are regularly reported by patients, who often see these conversations about weight as difficult.

The researchers analyzed 159 audio recordings of consultations between GPs and patients collected from the UK between 2013 and 2014.

Weight-loss advice rarely included effective methods - mostly consisting of telling patients to merely to eat less and be more physically active.

It was mainly generic and rarely tailored to individuals' existing knowledge and behaviors - such as what strategies they had tried to lose weight before.

Nearly all (97%) of the time the advice was abstract or general. Superficial guidance, such as one doctor telling a patient to just "change their lifestyle a bit" was regular.

Doctors gave patients information on how to carry out their advice in only a fifth (20%) of the consultations. Most were delivered without any detail about how to follow the advice.

In three-quarters (76%) of the consultations, they told patients to get help somewhere else for support in weight loss.

The analysis indicated when doctors did offer specific information, it was often scientifically unsupported and unlikely to result in actual weight loss.

Lead author Madeleine Tremblett, of the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at Oxford University, said: "This research demonstrates that doctors need clear guidelines on how to talk opportunistically to patients living with obesity about weight loss.

"This can help them to avoid amplifying stigmatizing stereotypes and give effective help to patients who want to lose weight."

The study in Family Practice backs findings by a French team published in the same journal in September.

It patients tend to associate excess weight with factors they cannot control - such as genetics and hormones.

Doctors, on the other hand, tend to attribute it to controllable factors, such as diet and physical activity.

The French team analyzed the level of their disagreement on information and advice given during consultations between 27 GPs and 585 patients.

They found the greater the doctor-patient disagreement, the more overweight the patient was, with differences of opinion particularly pronounced for advice given by doctors on weight and lifestyle issues.

Compared to patients with a "normal" BMI, overweight patients were more likely to disagree with their doctors regarding advice given on weight loss, doing more physical activity and nutrition.

Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said: "Stand-offs between overweight patients and their doctors are not just a problem in France. Similar disagreements are prevalent here.

"UK GPs are consistently advised by their colleges about how to conduct consultations about weight issues. They are crucial conversations which, sadly, many GPs still fail to master."