Association Between Patient Body Mass Index and Preferred Interpersonal Distance From Pharmacists

Appropriate interpersonal distance is an important element of nonverbal communication during medication counseling by pharmacists. Although interpersonal distance can be influenced by several factors such as sex, age, and psychological condition, the relationship between patients' body mass index (BMI) and their preferred interpersonal distance from pharmacists remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between patients' BMI and their preferred interpersonal distance from pharmacists. A total of 95 outpatients receiving anticancer drug therapy at the Nagoya Ekisaikai Hospital participated in this study. The preferred interpersonal distance was measured using both approach and withdrawal methods. The participants were divided into two groups according to their BMI: < 25 kg/m² and ≥ 25 kg/m². The preferred interpersonal distances of the two groups were then compared. Additional analyses were conducted to examine the combined effects of BMI, sex, and age. No significant difference in the preferred interpersonal distance was found between the two BMI groups. The combined analysis of sex and BMI also showed no statistically significant differences, although a possible trend was observed among the groups (p = 0.06). Similarly, no significant differences were identified in the combined analysis of age and BMI. No statistically significant association between BMI and preferred interpersonal distance was identified in this sample. However, the possible relationship between sex and BMI should be examined further in studies with larger sample sizes.