Improving Obesity Prevention and Management in Primary Care in Canada

Abstract

Obesity is a major risk factor for chronic diseases with significant morbidity, mortality and health care cost. There is concern due to the dramatic increase in overweight and obesity in Canada in the last 20 years. The causes of obesity are multifactorial, with underestimation by patients and healthcare providers of the long-term nature of the condition, and its complexity. Solutions related to prevention and management will require multifaceted strategies involving education, health policy, public health and health systems across the care continuum. We believe that to support such strategies we need to have a strong primary care workforce equipped with appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes to support persons at risk for, or with, obesity. To achieve this end, significant skills building is required to improve primary care obesity prevention and management efforts. This review will first examine the current state, and then will outline how we can improve.

The influence of therapeutic alliance on adult obesity interventions in primary care: A systematic review protocol

“…Primary care is well placed to assist patients with obesity. 2,3,5,12,15,16 Primary care is the first point of contact in a healthcare system. It offers whole-person care (ie care involving any body system); assists patients in a person-centred manner (ie care individualised based on a person's value and beliefs and within the context of their family and community life); and provides continuing care to people over the long term.…”

Nutrition care practices of primary care providers for weight management in multidisciplinary primary care settings in Ontario, Canada - a qualitative study

“…Obesity has been classified as a complex, chronic, relapsing condition, which highlights the importance of its prevention and management [ 4 , 5 ]. Primary care is the first point of contact for all patients and thus is viewed as the ideal place to address obesity [ 6 ]. Given the complexity of obesity, multicomponent interventions (i.e., those addressing diet, exercise, and behavioural therapy) are required in primary care [ 7 – 9 ].…”

“…While CHCs, FHTs, and NPLCs were established at different times, for different reasons, and follow their own models, they share an important characteristic: the variety of health care professionals who work in the same location. Given the importance of preventing and managing obesity in primary care [ 6 ], it is critical to understand how primary care providers working in different types of multidisciplinary clinics deliver nutrition care to adult patients ( 18 years or older ) with obesity. In light of this, our study was designed to understand nutrition-related weight management practices of family physicians (FPs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) working in multidisciplinary clinics.…”

Relationship between awareness and use of nutrition labels and obesity

“…Obesity causes morbidity leading to chronic diseases and is associated with increased healthcare costs for management as well as treatment of obesity-related diseases, which may be associated with high mortality rates. Thus, obesity requires national-level management and prevention interventions [2][3][4]. Globally, several countries have confirmed the annual prevalence rate of obesity through national health nutrition surveys and tried to reduce its increasing prevalence.…”

“…The prevalence of obesity showed an increasing trend in the 2005-2014 National Health and Nutrition Survey in the United States, and Canada has been reported to have a dramatic increase in obesity and overweight over the last 20 years [2,3]. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is approximately 50% and 16%, respectively, in European populations [5].…”