Doctors are failing to identify patients who are overweight and to tell them they need to lose weight, despite 63% of adults and one in four children being overweight or obese, researchers have found.
A study published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday found general practitioners were not routinely recording the body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference of their patients – key indicators of overweight and obesity.
The research, led by Monash University, examined 270,426 patients seen at clinics in inner-east Melbourne between July 2011 and December 2012. Only 22.2% of patients had their BMI recorded, while 4.3% had their waist circumference measured, the study found.
It meant opportunities for doctors to recommend health and lifestyle measures were being missed, the authors of the study wrote.
“The documentation rates we found in this study imply a continued need for programs of support to increase screening for obesity and documentation of related clinical information, in accordance with the recommendations in the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines,” the study concluded.
The head of the Australian Medical Association, Brian Owler, said he believed the study reflected the fact that many patients did not have a regular doctor.
It could be difficult for doctors to broach sensitive issues, such as weight, when they did not have an established relationship with their patients, he said.
“Many people only go to the doctor to solve a very specific issue, they’re not particularly interested in preventative conversations around smoking, obesity and other lifestyle factors,” he said. “I think this research underscores that the family doctor relationship is important for these kinds of conversations, but also that GPs are increasingly time poor and need better incentives to do this kind of preventative work.”