Table 3.
Changes in perceived skills, professional attitudes and perceived challenges after obesity day
| Pre-Post event | Pre-6 month | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 67 | n = 16 | |||||||
| Perceived skills, professional attitudes and challenges | Descriptive | Wilcoxon matched pairs test | Descriptive | Wilcoxon matched pairs test | ||||
| Perceived skills (1–3) 1 = Low to 3 = High |
Pre Mean (SD) | Post Mean (SD) | Z | p | Pre Mean (SD) | 6 month Post Mean (SD) | Z | p |
| My ability to assess weight status and associated risk factors | 2.35 (0.6) | 2.49 (0.5) | −2.07 | 0.04 | 2.62 (0.5) | 2.43 (0.7) | −1.00 | 0.32 |
| My ability to address weight management and obesity issues with patients | 1.94 (0.6) | 2.31 (0.5) | −4.23 | < 0.001 | 1.93 (0.5) | 2.19 (0.7) | −1.03 | 0.31 |
| My ability to teach and motivate patients toward physical activity | 1.88 (0.5) | 2.24 (0.5) | −3.80 | < 0.001 | 2.00 (0.5) | 2.27 (0.7) | −1.27 | 0.21 |
| My ability to teach and motivate patients toward healthy eating practices | 1.98 (0.6) | 2.27 (0.6) | − 3.40 | 0.001 | 2.00 (0.7) | 2.25 (0.6) | −1.27 | 0.21 |
| My ability to use behavior modification techniques to make lifestyle changes in your patients | 1.76 (0.6) | 2.09 (0.6) | −3.88 | < 0.001 | 1.68 (0.7) | 1.88 ((0.8) | −1.34 | 0.18 |
| My ability to deal with family issues around weight management | 1.52 (0.6) | 1.96 (0.5) | −4.77 | < 0.001 | 1.37 (0.5) | 1.81 (0.6) | −2.11 | 0.03 |
| Professional Attitudes (1–5) 1 = Strongly disagree 5 = Strongly agree | ||||||||
| I do not feel that obesity intervention is part of my scope of practice | 1.74 (1.0) | 1.52 (0.9) | −1.52 | 0.13 | 1.75 (0.8) | 1.64 (0.9) | −1.00 | 0.32 |
| I believe that a clinician’s role is simply to raise the issue of obesity rather than intervene | 1.70 (0.7) | 1.56 (0.7) | −1.60 | 0.11 | 1.75 (0.5) | 1.71 (0.9) | −0.11 | 0.91 |
| I do not have time to deal with the issue of obesity in my practice | 2.26 (1.1) | 2.17 (1.0) | − 0.73 | 0.46 | 2.07 (1.0) | 2.07 (1.2) | − 0.33 | 0.74 |
| Obesity is too difficult an issue to tackle therefore I do not address it in my practice | 1.80 (0.7) | 1.85 (0.8) | − 0.22 | 0.83 | 1.75 (0.8) | 1.71 (0.9) | −0.45 | 0.66 |
| I feel overwhelmed by the issue of obesity | 2.84 (1.1) | 2.75 (1.1) | −0.75 | 0.45 | 3.18 (1.1) | 2.78 (1.1) | −1.44 | 0.15 |
| I am not confident that any obesity intervention I attempt will make a difference | 2.37 (0.9) | 2.11 (0.7) | −1.67 | 0.09 | 2.56 (1.1) | 2.29 (0.9) | −1.10 | 0.27 |
| I do not feel sufficiently educated or competent in obesity intervention strategies | 2.90 (1.0) | 2.17 (0.9) | −4.41 | < 0.001 | 3.00 (1.0) | 2.36 (1.2) | −2.07 | 0.04 |
| I do not know whom to refer patients in cases of obesity intervention | 3.04 (1.2) | 2.36 (1.0) | −3.88 | < 0.001 | 3.12 (1.2) | 2.43 (1.3) | −2.43 | 0.02 |
| I am not comfortable in discussing obesity with my patients | 2.32 (1.0) | 1.83 (0.8) | −3.76 | < 0.001 | 2.37 (1.2) | 1.79 (1.0) | −2.17 | 0.03 |
| I avoid bringing up the topic of obesity as I do not want to offend or jeopardize my relationship with my patients and/or their family members | 2.27 (1.0) | 1.97 (0.8) | −2.86 | < 0.01 | 2.50 (1.1) | 1.92 (0.9) | −2.31 | 0.02 |
| As a healthcare provider, I am extremely frustrated with the low success rate in managing obesity | 3.66 (0.9) | 3.42 (0.9) | −2.18 | 0.03 | 3.75 (0.7) | 3.28 (0.9) | −2.13 | 0.03 |
| I feel that my patients will not be compliant and any obesity intervention efforts I attempt will have little impact, if any | 2.59 (1.0) | 2.40 (0.9) | −1.53 | 0.13 | 2.50 (1.0) | 2.29 (0.9) | −1.13 | 0.23 |
| I do not feel the need to address obesity issues with my patients unless they look or act sick | 1.89 (0.8) | 1.72 (0.7) | −1.66 | 0.09 | 2.12 (1.03) | 1.86 (1.0) | −0.83 | 0.41 |
| I fear that talking about obesity could do even more damage by leading my patient toward an eating disorder or other psychological problem | 1.95 (0.8) | 1.91 (0.8) | −0.36 | 0.72 | 2.18 (0.9) | 2.14 (1.3) | −0.37 | 0.71 |
| Challenges (1–5)a 1 = Strongly disagree 5 = Strongly agree | ||||||||
| Obesity intervention is not taught in my discipline’s curriculum before we enter practice | 3.10 (1.3) | – | – | – | 3.06 (1.4) | 2.92 (1.3) | 0.00 | 1.00 |
| There is limited professional training in this area (e.g. continuing professional development) | 3.65 (1.0) | – | – | – | 4.06 (0.9) | 3.79 (1.1) | −1.41 | 0.16 |
| Healthcare providers in my discipline are not adequately compensated for treating obesity | 3.46 (0.9) | – | – | – | 3.68 (1.1) | 3.36 (1.3) | −1.63 | 0.10 |
| There is a lack of appropriate referral options (e.g. dietitians or other related professionals) | 3.46 (1.0) | – | – | – | 3.68 (1.1) | 3.57 (1.3) | −0.58 | 0.56 |
| There is a lack of patient education materials regarding obesity to distribute to our patients | 3.55 (1.0) | – | – | – | 4.00 (0.8) | 3.64 (1.2) | −1.29 | 0.12 |
| Healthcare providers in my discipline need more guidance toward raising a sensitive issue such as obesity with our patients. | 4.05 (0.8) | – | – | – | 4.06 (0.9) | 3.57 (1.3) | −1.47 | 0.14 |
| Healthcare providers in my discipline need more guidance in motivational interviewing for behavior change related to obesity. | 4.14 (0.7) | – | – | – | 4.00 (0.9) | 3.57 (1.2) | −1.38 | 0.17 |
Wilcoxon matched pairs test (z) Asymp Sig (2-tailed) p-value. SD Standard Deviation. aChallenges were included only in the pre-event and six-month surveys. Significant values boldfaced (p < 0.05).