It is obvious that doctors recognize obesity as a health problem. So why is it so hard for them to talk to their patients about it?
The results of two surveys, one of primary care physicians and the other of patients, found that while most doctors want to help patients lose weight and think it is their responsibility to do so, they often don’t know what to say.
“So while doctors may tell patients they are overweight, the conversation often ends there,” said Christine C. Ferguson, director of the Stop Obesity Alliance. “Patients are not told about the possibility of diabetes (糖尿病),” she said. “And doctors don’t feel they have good information to give. They felt that they didn’t have adequate tools to address this problem.
