Weight-biased attitudes about pediatric patients with obesity in Dutch healthcare professionals from seven different professions.
Bibian van der Voorn, Roxanna Camfferman, Jacob C Seidell and 2 others
PMID 36861392WHAT IT FOUND
Among Dutch professionals treating children with obesity, pediatricians and GPs reported the most negative weight-biased attitudes, while dieticians reported the lowest.
These were self-reported attitudes, not observed patient care.
Key findings
01Pediatricians and GPs reported the highest negative weight-biased attitudes, including more frustration and less confidence and preparedness, than other Dutch healthcare groups.
02Dieticians reported the lowest negative weight-biased attitudes and greater confidence and preparedness than other groups, but 28% still perceived weight bias by colleagues.
03Across groups, 78% to 95% of professionals agreed patients with obesity should be treated with compassion and respect, but 20% of GPs and 20% of physiotherapists, and 30% of pediatricians, would rather treat a non-obese patient than a similar patient with obesity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study measured self-reported explicit attitudes only; it did not measure how attitudes affected behavior. Subgroup sizes were small, making it difficult to draw conclusions for a specific profession. It was cross-sectional, so it cannot assess how attitudes might have changed over time. The authors could not examine other personal characteristics, such as healthcare professional body mass index, or profession-related factors, such as obesity-related training.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The work was funded by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport under grant number VWS: 324043.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these percentages as evidence that any profession delivers worse care. The study measured self-reported attitudes only and did not observe treatment, so it cannot show what any clinician actually did with a child with obesity.