Weight counseling decreases despite rise in obesity

HERSHEY, Pa. While the number of overweight and obese Americans has increased, the amount of weight counseling offered by primary care physicians has decreased - especially for patients with high blood pressure and diabetes - according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. More than 145 million adult Americans are overweight or obese. Researchers analyzed data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for the years 1995-1996 and 2007-2008. This national survey collects information about the provision and use of outpatient medical care services in the United States. The 2007-08 data was the most recent available at the time of the study, and the two time periods were chosen because the survey structure was similar for better comparisons. Despite the current obesity epidemic, patients seen in 2007-2008 had 46 percent lower odds of receiving weight counseling, with counseling occurring in only 6.2 percent of visits in that year.