Physician weight influences responses to a public health message about the genetics of obesity.
Sydney H Telaak, Lauren C Howe, Susan Persky
PMID 37542821WHAT IT FOUND
Participants rated a physician with obesity as less credible and trusted her less, especially when she discussed genetics and obesity.
They also said they would follow her weight-related advice less. People with higher BMI accepted the obesity genetics message more.
Key findings
01Participants rated the lean physician as more credible and trusted her more than the physician with obesity, and the gap appeared when the transcript discussed genetics and obesity.
02Participants were less willing to follow advice on controlling weight from the physician with obesity than the lean physician, and this held in both transcript conditions.
03Among participants who read the obesity genetics transcript, people with higher BMI rated the physician and transcript as more credible and trustworthy than people with lower BMI.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study used a hypothetical physician and written transcript, so it does not show what happens in a real nurse or physician patient visit. Participants were online workers, not identified patients, and the sample was majority white, so results may not apply to clinical populations or other racial and ethnic groups. Outcomes were self-reported trust, credibility, and likely advice following, not actual treatment, adherence, or health outcomes. Only women physician profiles were used, and osteoporosis was chosen as the comparison topic, so results may differ for male providers or other conditions.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing financial interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that clinicians with obesity will lose real patient trust. This study measured public ratings of a hypothetical female physician in a written media transcript, and participants reported likely advice following, not actual treatment.