Identification of educational needs in the management of overweight and obesity: results of an international survey of attitudes and practice

Despite the availability of a growing range of interventions to assist control of body weight for people with excess weight or obesity, only a small proportion of people achieve their weight loss goals and are able to maintain body weight reductions in the long term. Negative attitudes and beliefs are often found among physicians and others involved in treating obesity and may adversely impact the effectiveness of management. In this international study, healthcare professionals were invited to complete an online survey of their attitudes and practice in the management of excess body weight. A total of 335 clinicians completed the survey of whom approximately half were based in Europe. A key finding from the survey is that, while participants are generally confident in their ability to manage overweight and obesity effectively, they also report that most of their patients are not successful in achieving their weight loss goals. At the same time, participants tended to overestimate the effectiveness of current medical management in maintaining reductions in body weight. Educational initiatives addressing the real-life effectiveness of different weight control interventions may help to close the gap between clinicians' perceptions and reality in the management of excess body weight.