Table 2.
Clinician Attitudes and Practices Regarding Adult Obesity Screening and Treatment
| Total Respondents, N | Oct 2005 | Apr 2007 | Dec 2007 | % Change Time 1 to Time 3 | P-value for % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 278 | 390 | 226 | |||
|
Attitudes, N (%) agree | |||||
| Obesity Screening and Treatment | |||||
| It is important to screen all patients for obesity | 254 (91) | 368 (94) | 216 (96) | +5 | 0.06 |
| It would improve care to screen all patients for obesity | 225 (81) | 337 (86) | 195 (86) | +5 | 0.11 |
| Most of my obese patients would not comply with my recommendations | 187 (67) | 263 (67) | 152 (67) | +0 | 0.99 |
| I do not have time to screen all my patients for obesity | 64 (23) | 92 (24) | 47 (21) | −2 | 0.55 |
| I do not have staff resources to screen all my patients for obesity | 62 (22) | 83 (21) | 35 (15) | −7 | 0.05a |
| Body Mass Index (BMI) Measurement | |||||
| BMI should be recorded for all patients | 201 (72) | 299 (77) | 182 (81) | +9 | 0.03a |
| BMI is a very useful vital sign | 124 (45) | 199 (51) | 134 (59) | +14 | <0.01a |
| BMI is useful but not recorded on all patients | 137 (49) | 170 (44) | 86 (38) | −11 | 0.01a |
| Following (only) weight seems adequate in my practice | 37 (13) | 26 (7) | 13 (6) | −7 | <0.01a |
|
Practices, N (%) Performed | |||||
| Weight measured routinely | 274 (99) | 382 (98) | 224 (99) | 0 | 0.57 |
| Height measured routinely | 159 (57) | 261 (67) | 168 (74) | +17 | <0.01a |
| BMI calculated routinely | 139 (50) | 233 (60) | 159 (70) | +20 | <0.01a |
| BMI calculated at least sometimes | 249 (90) | 365 (94) | 213 (94) | +4 | 0.06 |
| Visual inspection used to assess obesity | 144 (52) | 195 (50) | 102 (45) | −7 | 0.14 |
a
Statistically significant: P≤0.05