News and briefs: Physicians? BMI weighs down on talking to patients about their BMI

A recent study from the journal Obesity finds that a physician’s weight may affect their willingness to talk to patients about obesity and other weight-related issues. According to the study, physicians with a normal body mass index (BMI) were more likely to discuss weight loss with overweight patients (30% vs. 18%), as well as provide diet (53% vs. 37%) and exercise suggestions (56% vs. 38%). The study also found that over 70% of physicians in the normal BMI category think physicians should model healthy-weight related behaviors to patients. For physicians with a high BMI, about 50% agreed with that statement. For more survey results, click here.