Doctors Don't Respect Obese, Confirmed By Research

doctors need to examine their own perceptions to patients of different weights

A new American study has confirmed something which we previously wrote about at Ukmedix News which is that doctors have less respect and a more negative attitude to overweight and obese individuals who seek medical help when compared to those of a normal weight. The research which was done at the Johns Hopkins University involved the use of data collected from almost 240 men and women and 40 doctors in different areas around Baltimore. Both the doctors and the patients were given questionnaires which asked detailed questions about perceptions and attitudes towards each other.

The results clearly showed that the doctors had less respect towards obese patients and when this was quantified it was seen that for each 10 unit increase in the patients BMI a 14 percent higher rating of reduced patient respect was observed on the part of the doctors.

Ukmedix News has published a lot of research which shows that practically everybody looks down on obese individuals and perceives them to be less intelligent and lazier when compared to their normal weight peers. This recent research shows that even doctors who are supposed to be fair and open minded with all their patients also to a certain extent discriminate against obese people.

This also research raises questions about whether obese people are getting the same standard of patient care as normal weight people and whether doctors need to examine their own perceptions to patients of different weights and possibly modify them. Obese individuals have been noted to avoid going to the doctor because they don’t like to be told to lose weight and therefore it is important that they are made to feel as welcome as possible when they finally do go.

Of course a doctor will always have to advise the patient to lose weight, but can do so in a friendly and sensitive way and provide the tools such as weight loss medication, diet plans and practical advice. Sometimes the difference between weight loss and weight gain is an intelligent and inspiring doctor who fully understands how difficult it is to lose weight for some individuals.

The study called ‘Physician Respect for Patients with Obesity’ can be seen in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.