Obesity Management in Primary Care

Abstract

Purpose: Obesity is a growing concern in the United States (US) and worldwide. Obesity is the source of many health conditions that elevate the issue to a national epidemic. This project explored improvement opportunities for the current obesity management practices in primary care environments. The project was designed to increase care providers’ capacity to provide weight management education intervention for the obese population in a primary care clinic.Background: Body mass index (BMI) characterizes obesity greater than 30kg/m2. The condition is prevalent in people with low socioeconomic status but can also have gender, age, ethnicity, lifestyle, and income connections; for instance, adults are at a greater risk of becoming obese than children. A similar trend is evident in the gender construct, where women face a greater risk of obesity than men. Several risk factors for obesity stem from lifestyle, culture, and environment. Obesity is manageable, but it requires attention to diet, exercise, and other weight management strategies. Methods: The project utilized a document review combined with a pre- and post-survey intervention. First, the participants were given a post-survey to assess their preparedness and knowledge of obesity and weight management. Primary care providers are often the first line of care for patients and often times the only provider the patients will ever encounter, which makes it crucial to provide weight management interventions for the obese population. Timely interventions to factors that result in obesity can help address the limited capacity compounded by inconsistent weight management follow-up with obese patients. Lastly, the participants were issued a post-survey to understand their experience and lessons gained from the project. The initial goal of this project was to recruit 20 participants, but only 15 agreed to participate, which contributed to all aspects of the project (N=15; 100%). The sample consisted of four men (26.67%) and eleven women (73.33%).