Is primary care practice equipped to deal with obesity?: comment on 'Preventing weight gain by lifestyle intervention in a general practice setting'.

摘要

Obesity is associated with a long list of serious medical complications that impair health, reduce quality of life, and shorten lifespan. These complications can be improved or completely resolved by weight loss. Therefore, obesity is a legitimate medical concern that should involve the implementation of therapeutic weight loss by primary practice physicians. However, an evaluation of a large primary care database in the United States found that only 20% of obese patients were given a diagnosis of obesity, and only 40% of those patients were given an obesity management plan. These data suggest that general medical practices are not addressing the issue of weight management in obese patients.