Stigma and Knowledge as Determinants of Recommendation and Referral Behavior of General Practitioners and Internists

Jung, Franziska; Luck-Sikorski, Claudia; König, Hans‐Helmut; Riedel‐Heller, Steffi G.

doi:10.1007/s11695-016-2104-5

Cited by 31 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Attitudes and perceived experience were the most influencing factors on GPs referral intent, which is supported by our results. Knowledge and stigmatizing attitudes towards treatment options also seems to have an influence on referral behavior, as shown by a German study on weight loss surgery [16]. In addition, the availability of resources, such as the possibility for direct contact between GPs and referral providers and the location of the referral service, influences GP decisions [6,22,29].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are difficulties in making inferences from one country to another, in part, because of sociocultural and structural differences in health care systems. There have been some studies in Germany about stigmatizing attitudes in the general population [ 11 , 12 ] and health care providers [ 13 ], as well as surveys about treatment of obesity [ 14 – 16 ]. However, studies examining the link between attitudes and treatment practice in primary health care are rare.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Attitudes and treatment practice of general practitioners towards patients with obesity in primary care

et al. 2020

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Background: Obesity is one of the most common and relevant health problems in need of urgent action in Germany. General practitioners (GPs) are the initial contact and thus one of the most important starting points for the successful treatment of overweight and obesity. The aim of the study was to assess the treatment practice and attitudes towards patients with obesity in primary health care in Germany. Methods: Analyses were based on baseline data of the INTERACT trial of 47 GPs in central Germany. Stigmatizing attitudes were identified using the Fat Phobia Scale (FPS). In addition, questionnaires including sociodemographic information, attribution of causes of obesity, referral behavior and clinical activities were completed. Statistical investigations include descriptive analysis, principal component analysis, inference statistics and linear regression models. Results: GPs rated the quality of medical care for patients with obesity in Germany as below average. The FPS score revealed a value of 3.70, showing that GPs' attitudes towards patients with obesity are stigmatizing. Younger GP age, male gender and a lower number of referrals to specialists were associated with higher levels of stigmatizing attitudes. Conclusion: Weight-related stigmatization has an impact on medical treatment. Obesity management guides would help to increase knowledge and reduce weight-related stigmatization in primary care, thereby improving medical care for obese and overweight patients.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes and treatment practice of general practitioners towards patients with obesity in primary care

et al. 2020

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“…Global stigmatization of obesity increased over the past decades, also in healthcare providers [8]. It is a growing concern given the increasing prevalence of obesity [4,[9][10][11][12]. The society often considers obesity a "lifestyle-disease" and individuals with obesity are regarded to be responsible ("their own fault", "are inactive", "don't have self-control") [13][14][15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Body Mass Index and Gender on Stigmatization of Obesity

et al. 2020

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Background Stigmatization and discrimination of people with obesity due to their weight are a common problem that may lead to additional weight gain. This study evaluated the influence of different parameters on the stigmatization of obesity. Material and Methods Participants of six groups (general population, patients with obesity, medical students, physicians, nurses in training and nurses; n = 490) answered the short-form fat phobia scale (FPS) between August 2016 and July 2017. The influence of body mass index (BMI), gender and other factors on total scores and single adjective pairs was analyzed. Results A total of 490 participants were evaluated. The total mean FPS rating was 3.5 ± 0.6. FPS was significantly lower (more positive) in participants with obesity (3.2 ± 0.7) compared with participants without obesity (3.5 ± 0.5, p < 0.001). Individuals with obesity and diabetes rated the FPS significantly lower (more positive), whereas age and gender did not have a significant influence. Participants with obesity linked obesity more often with good selfcontrol (p < 0.001), being shapely (p = 0.002), industrious (p < 0.001), attractive (p < 0.001), active (p < 0.001), selfsacrificing (p < 0.001) and having more willpower (p < 0.001) than the participants without obesity. Females rated more positive in shapely versus shapeless (p = 0.038) and attractive versus non-attractive (p < 0.001) than males. Conclusions The present study shows that stigmatization of obesity is present in medical professionals as well as the general population. People affected by obesity characterized other people with obesity more positively (e.g. attractive or active), whereas people without obesity linked negative characteristics with obesity. Gender had an influence only on single items of FPS but did not affect overall stigmatization of obesity.

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“…For example, Corrigan et al, concluded that the perceived stigma of mental illness is a major barrier to the seeking of psychosocial treatment . In addition, such studies on cancer patients have not been conducted, but there was one study that showed that physicians' stigma affects defining treatment pathways for patients with obesity . However, no study has been undertaken to investigate the effect of physicians' perceived stigma toward depression on referral for such treatment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between physicians' perceived stigma toward depression and physician referral to psycho‐oncology services on an oncology/hematology ward

et al. 2017

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Stigma and Knowledge as Determinants of Recommendation and Referral Behavior of General Practitioners and Internists

Cited by 31 publications

References 36 publications

Attitudes and treatment practice of general practitioners towards patients with obesity in primary care

Attitudes and treatment practice of general practitioners towards patients with obesity in primary care

Influence of Body Mass Index and Gender on Stigmatization of Obesity

Relationship between physicians' perceived stigma toward depression and physician referral to psycho‐oncology services on an oncology/hematology ward

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