USA Today reports on a new study examining whether people who are overweight receive less care from their doctors.
Previous research has shown that some physicians find it awkward to work with obese patients and have low expectations for success. And heavy patients have reported feeling that doctors are biased and disrespectful because of their extra weight. To examine whether such attitudes translate into differences in actual practice, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center evaluated the medical care of nearly 70,000 patients. They were Medicare beneficiaries or received care from Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals.
The scientists compared how likely heavy and normal-weight people were to meet standard guidelines for preventive care, including diabetes care (eye exams, sugar and cholesterol testing), flu vaccines, pneumonia vaccines and screenings for breast, colorectal and cervical cancers.
Results showed that people in the study who were overweight or obese were just as, if not more, likely to receive preventative care from their doctors as people of normal weight.
The study’s lead investigator, who holds an MD and a PhD in sociology, comments:
“Physicians appear to be doing a good job at preventive care, despite surveys suggesting that physicians have negative attitudes toward obesity and patients’ perceptions that their doctors are biased,” says lead author Virginia Chang, an assistant professor of medicine and sociology at the University of Pennsylvania…
“It’s important to ensure that obese patients are getting equitable preventive care, as these services can save lives and reduce costs down the road,” Chang says.
Still, questions remain. “Our findings do not address patients’ satisfaction with their care,” she says. “And these findings may not be true of younger populations where the stigma of obesity may be greater.”
Comments 6
ultrasound technician — April 14, 2010
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Roshni Muralidharan — April 14, 2010
I don't really have any firsthand experience with differential treatment from doctors as a result of weight however I think a key factor in a doctor's attitude towards you is your attitude.
Many times patients are not enthusiastic about being healthy or have a "I really don't want to be here" attitude which probably rubs off on doctors.
I think it is important to show that you really care about yourself and communicate this clearly since this will help doctors be more attentive to your needs.
mcnet002 — April 16, 2010
I think that most doctors follow a standard when providing preventative care. Everyone should receive vaccines, cancer screenings, and blood tests. We have come to expect these practices that I highly doubt a doctor would not screen a woman for breast cancer because she is obese. If anything, I would overweight and obese people may receive more preventative care, as they are more likely to have health problems. It's hard to believe that people are surprised by the study's findings.
Natalie — April 17, 2010
Many doctors probably do have negative views towards obesity simply because of the adverse health effects associated with it. However, I believe that the majority of doctors actually want to help their patients and to provide the best possible preventative care. Doctors may view the obesity itself negatively, but not necessarily the patient.
As someone else mentioned, I would also assume that obese people are more likely to receive preventative care. They are at a higher risk than members of the general population, and so doctors may be more worried about their health.
fuzzy — April 25, 2010
It is often frustrating for health care workers because often obese people aren't motivated or willing to assist in their health care: overweight diabetics don't want to monitor their blood sugar or change eating habits to lower same, they don't want to take the meds to keep their sugars under control, they don't want to add ANY exercise...one of our most frequent requests is to sign forms for patients to have scooters....when what they really need is to walk!
Preventive care is provided but is difficult: A salt-sensitive patient eats only fast food, thus driving up both BP and lipids, a patient on blood thinners drinks vast quantities of alcohol......
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