Attitudes and practices of military family physicians regarding obesity

This study's objective was to define the current attitudes and practices of military family physicians regarding obesity. The authors mailed a cross-s ectional survey to 267 military family physicians selected randomly from th e 1997 Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians membership database. A total of 214 surveys (80%) were returned. Most respondents believed that they should be role models to patients (93%) and felt obligated to counsel patients regarding obesity (90%). Fifty-six percent did not consider couns eling obese patients professionally satisfying. Most correctly identified o besity as a risk factor for several diseases, except colon cancer (35%). Fi fty-four percent correctly identified the current World Health Organization definition of obesity. A notable minority ascribed negative attributes of sadness (18%) and lack of self-control (25%) to obese individuals. The resu lts of this survey indicate knowledge gaps and professional ambivalence reg arding obesity in the study group. Methods of increasing family physician e ffectiveness in modifying this important risk factor deserve further study.