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# Physicians Providing Less Help with Weight Issues, Compared with a Decade Ago
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/physicians_providing_less_help_with_weight_issues_0117131128/
- Published: 2013-01-17T12:28:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T13:51:08.000Z
- Description: Weight counselling appeared in only 6.2 percent of US office visits in 2007-2008, down from 7.8 percent in 1995-1996, National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data show, even as overweight and diabetes grew. Earlier work found overweight physicians particularly reluctant to advise on weight loss.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Healthcare, Health News, #vivvo-import

Physicians are doing less patient counseling for weight problems now than they were a decade ago, according to the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Despite increased prevalence of overweight in the United States and a concomitant rise in diabetes, weight counseling was offered in only 6.2 percent of office visits in 2007-2008, down from 7.8 percent of visits in 1995-1996\. Previous studies have shown that overweight physicians are particularly reluctant to provide guidance on weight loss for their patients.

PCRM provides posters, booklets, office-based nutrition curricula, books, fact sheets, recipes, and Web links to help [physicians](http://support.pcrm.org/site/R?i=%5FKUfYH8IBS2rwWUki49vFA&ref=foodconsumer.org) and other [health care professionals](http://support.pcrm.org/site/R?i=S9mj1%5F69%5FyyerL5Nrjlyqg&ref=foodconsumer.org) address overweight and other nutrition-related health problems.

Kraschenewski JL, Sciamanna CN, Stuckey HL, et al. A silent response to the obesity epidemic: decline in US physician weight counseling. *Med Care.* Published ahead of print October 7, 2012

Bleich SN, Bennett WL, Gudzune KA, Cooper LA. Impact of physician BMI on obesity care and beliefs.*Obesity.* 2012;20:999-1005.

For information about nutrition and health, please visit [www.pcrm.org/](http://support.pcrm.org/site/R?i=Zh8ohEVb2jDTi3mgDUBbqw&ref=foodconsumer.org).

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