Patients Who Aren’t Body Shamed by Their Doctors Are More Likely to Lose Weight
The way a doctor talks to you about weight loss can impact how much you actually lose, a new study says
Your doctor’s ability to have a good bedside manner when talking to you about weight may actually impact how much you’re able to lose, according to a new study.
A study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that patients were more likely to take part in and benefit from a doctor-recommended weight loss program if their doctors “presented treatments for obesity as good news and as an ‘opportunity’ rather than emphasizing the negative consequences of obesity,” according to a news release on the study. Using neutral language was also unhelpful, according to the research.
Researchers at the University of Oxford analyzed audio recordings of 246 doctors appointments with 87 general practitioners across 38 primary care clinics in England. The doctors pitched a free 12-week “behavioral weight loss intervention” to patients they identified as obese.
Focusing on the benefits of weight loss rather than painting the patient’s weight as a problem in need of fixing is the best approach for doctors, the study found. A year after their appointment, those who received the positive approach lost an average of 10.6 pounds, compared to 6 pounds for those who got the negative approach and only 2.6 pounds for those who faced a neutral approach.
“Patients have reported that clinicians’ words and tone matter to them and can motivate or demotivate weight loss,” researchers noted.
Researchers noted that they were limited to analyzing audio from the appointment only, meaning body language and nonverbal cues could not be assessed.
The study echoes recommendations from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which advises physicians to be sensitive about how they approach speaking to a patient about thoughts on losing weight.
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“Open the discussion about weight in a respectful and nonjudgmental way,” reads a passage on the NIH website about weight management for health professionals. “Patients may be more open if they feel respected.”
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