Few obese adults get treatment plan from docs

By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Few obese adults receive a formal weight-management plan from their doctors, despite the proven health benefits of even modest weight loss, a new study suggests.

The researchers reviewed the medical records of 9827 patients seen at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, between November 2004 and October 2005. A total of 2543 of these patients were obese.

Principal investigator Dr. Warren G. Thompson, and his colleagues, found that only 505, or about one in five obese patients had their condition formally documented. However, patients who did have a formal diagnosis of obesity were 2.5 times more likely to be given a plan of treatment, such as diet changes and exercise goals.

Obese patients who were older or male were less likely to have their condition documented, whereas patients who were morbidly obese, had diabetes mellitus, or obstructive sleep apnea, were more likely to be formally diagnosed, according to the study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings journal.

Better management of obesity could have a "huge public health impact," according to Thompson and his group. Even a modest weight loss, they point out, can help control a range of chronic health problems, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol.

It's possible, Thompson told Reuters Health, that when doctors think about obesity as a medical problem that can be diagnosed, they are apt to discuss ways to manage the problem.

Not surprisingly, he noted, study patients who were severely obese were more likely to have a diagnosis and a treatment plan -- suggesting that doctors need to take a closer look at patients with less severe weight problems.

Thompson also suggests that people who are significantly overweight and have yet to get advice from their doctors should consider broaching the topic themselves.

SOURCE: Mayo Clinic Proceedings, August 2007.