Family physicians’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding the weight effects of added sugar
Added sugar consumption is a major risk factor for negative health outcomes and family physicians play an important role in educating patients regarding nutrition behaviors, such as consumption of added dietary sugar. The aim of this study was to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of family physicians regarding added dietary sugar.
Methods:An online questionnaire was administered to family physician members of the Council of Academic Family Medicine organizations, which support teaching physicians that train family physicians throughout the United States. Survey items underwent rigorous pilot and cognitive testing prior to administration. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s chi-square test were performed to evaluate physician’s dietary counseling for patients with overweight and obesity.
Results:Among practicing family physician members (n = 1196), 72% reported providing dietary counseling to the majority (⩾50%) of their patients with overweight and obesity. Most (90%) believed that their counseling was ineffective for the majority of patients. Frequency of counseling was significantly associated with beliefs about counseling effectiveness (p-value < 0.001). Nearly all physicians (97%) advised against consuming sugary beverages, while advising patients to limit foods with added sugar was less common (82%).
Discussion:Dietary counseling is often, but not always, provided to patients with overweight and obesity by family physicians in our sample, though most physicians believed their counseling is ineffective. National attention to added sugar as a risk for poor health should serve as a catalyst for renewed efforts from primary care educators and clinicians to engage in innovative practices to empower at-risk patients to improve their nutrition.
CITE THIS COLLECTION
SHARE
Usage metrics
Read the peer-reviewed publication
AUTHORS (6)
CATEGORIES
- Health and Community Services
- Cardiology
- Dentistry not elsewhere classified
- Emergency Medicine
- Endocrinology
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Neurology and Neuromuscular Diseases
- Nursing not elsewhere classified
- Nutrition and Dietetics not elsewhere classified
- Oncology and Carcinogenesis not elsewhere classified
- Orthopaedics
- Sports Medicine
- Otorhinolaryngology
- Aged Health Care
- Paediatrics
- Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences not elsewhere classified
- Psychology not elsewhere classified
- Psychiatry (incl. Psychotherapy)
- Public Health and Health Services not elsewhere classified
- Respiratory Diseases
- Sociological Methodology and Research Methods
- Surgery
- Veterinary Medicine