Many Obese Patients Fail to Link Their Weight to Their Health, Study Finds
New York, NY – October 20, 2011--Many overweight and obese patients in hospital
emergency departments don’t believe their weight poses health risks, and many say
doctors have never...
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Many Obese Patients Fail to Link Their Weight to Their Health, Study Finds
New York, NY – October 20, 2011--Many overweight and obese patients in hospital
emergency departments don’t believe their weight poses health risks, and many say
doctors have never told them otherwise, according to a University of Florida study.
Researchers asked 450 random
patients in a Florida hospital
emergency department two questions:
Do you believe your present weight is
unhealthy, and has a doctor ever said
you are overweight? Of those
reporting that their weight was
unhealthy, only 19 percent said they’d
ever discussed it with a doctor.
And
only 30 percent of those who reported
being told by their doctor that their
weight was unhealthy agreed with that
opinion.
Researchers also measured
body mass index and waist
circumference, indicators of body fat.
About 47 percent of obese and overweight men
said they believed their weight was problematic; 53 percent didn’t.
“People generally hear what they want
Less