Attitudes, Practices, and Barriers of Malaysian Community Pharmacists Toward Provision of Weight Management Services

Abstract

In Malaysia, sharp increment in the prevalence of obesity over the last four decades has been documented. Community pharmacists (CPs) are strategically placed to tackle obesity by providing weight managements services (WMS) to general public. This study assessed the attitudes, practices and perceived barriers of Malaysian CPs to the provision of WMS. A cross-sectional, descriptive survey was conducted, and responses related to attitudes, practices and perceived barriers of CPs were collected using five-point Likert scale. A total of 550 pharmacists who worked across six states of Malaysia (Selangor, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Pulau Pinang, Johor, Sabah, and Melaka) participated in this study. Most of the CPs strongly agreed that over eating ( n = 312, 56.7%) and sedentary lifestyles ( n = 297, 54.0%) contribute to obesity and overweight. Most of them also strongly agreed that exercise training is an effective weight reduction strategy ( n = 285, 51.9%), but they were generally not in favor of surgery ( n = 231, 42% disagreed/strongly disagreed). CPs generally perceived barriers related to a lack of staff to provide WMS ( n = 308, 56.0% agreed/strongly agreed) and ethical and legal issues associated with sales of products/drugs for obesity management ( n = 285, 51.9% agreed/strongly agreed). Sociodemographic and practice characteristics such as age group, type of pharmacy, highest education qualification, and employment status of CPs influenced the attitudes, practices and perceived barriers associated with WMS. In terms of age, CPs who were aged less then 30 years expressed significantly stronger agreement that medication adherence is beneficial for weight loss compared to those CPs between 41–50 years. Additionally, CPs who were pharmacy owners provided significantly more frequent BMI measurement and patient information materials as part of their weight management practices compared to CPs who worked as a part timer/locum. This study could be taken as a baseline study on Malaysian CPs’ perceptions on WMS.

A Qualitative Study Exploring Community Pharmacists' Experiences and Views About Weight Management Interventions and Services in Klang Valley, Malaysia

“…From patients' perspective, there is a lack of sensitivity about privacy requirements for discussions of sensitive issues such as obesity in community pharmacy (24). The issue of privacy was also raised in the findings of the previous quantitative study (8), in which it was one of the factors influencing the acceptability of community pharmacist-led WMS. In addition, the availability of a consultation room for discussion and consultation of all health issues to take place was one of the patient's considerations when choosing a pharmacy in the United Kingdom (25).…”

“…The findings from this study support and further explain results from the previous quantitative study that aimed to assess the attitudes, practices, and perceived barriers of Malaysian community pharmacists in the delivery of WMS. In the previous quantitative study, while many of the community pharmacists were reported to actively provide WMS, they also perceived the presence of multiple barriers ( 8 ).…”

“…According to previous surveys conducted, about 75–90% of the community pharmacists in Malaysia participated in the delivery of weight management services (WMS) ( 6 , 7 ). Most of the community pharmacists in Malaysia in a previous study ( 8 ) reported providing extended services related to weight management, including anthropometric and physiological measurements. Such findings are encouraging, as they indicate that community pharmacists in Malaysia may have a positive perception of their roles in weight management, and thus represents a potential opportunity to further explore their role in WMS.…”

Older age does not influence the success of weight loss through the implementation of lifestyle modification

“…There are many potential barriers to effective obesity management in a hospital-based service for patients of older age. Moreover, there may be some inertia to referral of older patients from primary care or other specialist healthcare professionals in secondary care 16. Misconceptions about the utility and effectiveness of weight management in older patients may drive such attitudes.…”

Community Pharmacy Based Model for HIV Care and Services: Attitudes and Perceptions of Practitioners in Jos, Nigeria

“…These also corroborated findings of researchers in Malaysia, who examined attitudes, practices and barriers to community pharmacists, led weight management. They found that collaboration and support counseling between community pharmacists and other health care practitioners resulted in better outcomes [19].…”