Obesity care education in Canadian medical schools: A multi-site qualitative study

Many medical professionals and trainees do not feel comfortable providing care for obesity. Therefore, there is a need to improve the standards of obesity education and medical curriculum in Canada. Our study aims to determine how obesity care is currently taught and to identify the perceived most effective teaching methods for improving obesity care education in Canadian medical schools.

Our study employs a cross-sectional design and is guided by constructivist grounded theory, which posits that the interpretation of study results is shaped by the researcher. Attempts to recruit participants were made at 8 of 14 English-speaking medical schools across Canada. A total of n = 17 participants from 4 of these schools are represented in our study. Focus groups with third- and fourth-year Canadian medical students were conducted to identify strategies to improve the delivery of obesity care education. Focus group questions were developed by a medical professional and researcher, and face validity was conferred. Transcripts were anonymized using MacWhisper (Version 12.17), verified for accuracy, and analyzed thematically and content-analytically using Atlas.ti (V.25).

Focus group data yielded four main themes-Theme 1: Preceptors lack the knowledge and skills to teach students effective obesity care, which can perpetuate the idea that engagement in obesity care/management is undervalued and contributes to ongoing stigma and health inequities faced by people living with obesity. Theme 2: The medical curriculum and assessment do not emphasize deliberate curricula in obesity care, integrated obesity care across curricula and conditions, given its impact on comorbidities. Theme 3: Students are generally not comfortable with pediatric obesity care because it is not taught. Theme 4: Obesity curricula employ multi-component teaching methods.

Our study identifies methods to improve obesity care education across Canadian medical schools. While multiple methods of curriculum delivery are effective, ensuring that instructors are proficient and stigma-free in delivering obesity-related topics is essential.