Surveying the Knowledge and Practices of Primary Care Residents in Managing Adult Patients with Obesity

The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide at an alarming rate, yet obesity remains under-addressed during clinic encounters. A lack of training in how to treat obesity is one crucial factor contributing to this deficiency.

This study explored resident physicians' perceptions of their education on obesity and its relationship with confidence and practice behaviors when caring for patients with obesity.

A survey was distributed to residency directors to share with residents in their programs. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. Data was collected over a 3-month period.

Residents in Family Medicine and Internal Medicine programs in West Virginia and Indiana who saw adult patients in an ambulatory care setting.

The electronic survey queried the presence of a formal curriculum on Obesity Medicine (OM) and each resident's knowledge, confidence, practice behaviors, and attitudes pertaining to OM.

The survey was distributed to 490 residents in 12 programs. Response rate was 22.9% (112 resident physicians). All respondents felt that medical training in obesity should be strengthened. Residents who reported having a formal curriculum on OM were more likely than those without a curriculum to rate their confidence as "high" when discussing weight (35.0% vs. 16.7%, p = 0.03) and when counseling patients about diet and nutrition (37.5% vs. 18.1%, p = 0.02). They also more frequently reported learning enough from faculty to manage obesity (65.0% vs. 29.2%, p < 0.001). Residents with an OM curriculum reported discussing obesity as a problem with patients (100.0% vs. 86.1%, p = 0.01), and completing motivational interviews (90.0% vs. 58.3%, p =  < 0.001), more frequently than their peers without a curriculum.

Residents with a formal OM curriculum were more confident in addressing and discussing obesity with patients. Formal training in OM will strengthen resident training to better address and treat patients with obesity.