Al Saud Lama Mohammed, Altowairqi Saad Ebrahem, Showail Anwar Ali, Alzahrani Bader Saad, Arnous Maha M, Alsuhaibani Raya Mohammed
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
College of Medicine, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
J Family Med Prim Care. 2024 Sep;13(9):3688-3694. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_7_24. Epub 2024 Sep 11.
Many primary care physicians (PCPs) believed that managing overweight and obesity is essential to their jobs, however, many believe that they were doing it ineffectively, unsatisfying, and had negative attitudes. We conducted this study to explore the knowledge, attitudes and adherence to obesity management guidelines, identify potential barriers that may prevent adherence of PCPs to obesity treatment guidelines.
We conducted this cross-sectional study and conducted a questionnaire sent via email to all PCPs in the Ministry of Interior centers in Riyadh, Al-Kharj, AlQassim, Wadi Ad Dawasir, Hail and Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.
A total of 119 PCPs participated in the survey, 61 (51.3%) males and 58 (48.7%) females. All respondents ( = 119, 100%) answered correctly that obesity is a disease. Of PCPs surveyed, genetics accounted for 75.6% of the responses as the cause of obesity. 79.8% believed that the best way for patients with obesity to lose weight was to engage in regular physical activity. The majority of PCPs (87.4%) thought that treating obesity should be a top priority, and 88.2% would typically recommend obesity therapy to their patients. Around 68.9% of PCPs thought that it's their patients' responsibility to lose weight. The majority will recommend obesity treatment and 75.6% would talk to their patients about weight concerns, while 60.5% would refer their patients to obesity surgery. There was a positive significant association between higher knowledge and better attitude and better adherence to treatment guidelines. More experienced PCPs were more confident. The most common perceived barrier was the patients' lack of desire to follow obesity treatment.
Primary care clinics and PCPs play a crucial role in diagnosing and treating patients with obesity, according to Ministry of Health guidelines on the prevention and management of obesity. PCPs must not only acknowledge obesity as a chronic illness and the possible long-term consequences it may cause, but also provide comprehensive, multi-component interventions that include lifestyle changes, medication, and appropriate referrals for bariatric surgery when needed. Healthcare professionals must form a cooperative relationship with obese patients to ensure that the patients follow treatment protocols.
许多初级保健医生（PCP）认为管理超重和肥胖是其工作的重要组成部分，然而，许多人认为他们在这方面做得无效、不尽人意且态度消极。我们开展这项研究以探索肥胖管理指南的知识、态度及遵循情况，确定可能阻碍初级保健医生遵循肥胖治疗指南的潜在障碍。
我们进行了这项横断面研究，并通过电子邮件向沙特阿拉伯利雅得、哈吉尔、卡西姆、瓦迪阿瓦西尔、海勒和塔布克内政部中心的所有初级保健医生发送了一份调查问卷。
共有119名初级保健医生参与了调查，其中男性61名（51.3%），女性58名（48.7%）。所有受访者（n = 119，100%）都正确回答肥胖是一种疾病。在接受调查的初级保健医生中，75.6%的受访者认为肥胖的原因是遗传。79.8%的人认为肥胖患者减肥的最佳方法是进行规律的体育活动。大多数初级保健医生（87.4%）认为治疗肥胖应是首要任务，88.2%的人通常会向患者推荐肥胖治疗。约68.9%的初级保健医生认为减肥是患者自己的责任。大多数人会推荐肥胖治疗，75.6%的人会与患者谈论体重问题，而60.5%的人会将患者转介至肥胖手术。较高的知识水平与更好的态度以及更好地遵循治疗指南之间存在显著的正相关。经验更丰富的初级保健医生更有信心。最常见的感知障碍是患者缺乏遵循肥胖治疗的意愿。
根据卫生部关于肥胖预防和管理的指南，初级保健诊所和初级保健医生在诊断和治疗肥胖患者方面发挥着关键作用。初级保健医生不仅必须承认肥胖是一种慢性病及其可能导致的长期后果，还必须提供全面的多成分干预措施，包括生活方式改变、药物治疗以及在需要时适当转介进行减肥手术。医疗保健专业人员必须与肥胖患者建立合作关系，以确保患者遵循治疗方案。
