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Do Healthcare Professionals with High Weight Biases Provide Different Quality of Care to Obese Compared to Normal Weight Patients?
Author(s) -
Seymour Justine,
Barnes Jennifer L,
Schumacher Julie,
Vollmer Rachel L
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.975.7
Subject(s) - medicine , health care , weight loss , health professionals , empathy , obesity , thematic analysis , family medicine , scale (ratio) , physical therapy , psychiatry , qualitative research , social science , sociology , economics , economic growth , physics , quantum mechanics
Although weight bias has been established as an issue in healthcare, it is less understood if, and how it may impact quality of care. The purpose of this study was to determine if weight bias exhibited by healthcare professionals (HCPs) impacts quality of healthcare provided to obese individuals. HCPs (n=220; 89% female, 94% nurses) in the Midwest region of the United States were recruited to complete an online survey. Participants completed the Attitude Towards Obese Persons scale (ATOP) to assess weight bias and responded to hypothetical patient scenarios to evaluate quality of care. A median split was calculated for ATOP scores to divide participants into high or low weight bias groups. Within these groups, thematic analysis was used to uncover themes in quality of care based upon participants' responses to scenarios. Results revealed that overall, diet and exercise modifications were the most common treatment methods. Additionally, in both weight bias groups, obese patients were started on pharmaceutical therapies sooner, given more specific diet and exercise recommendations, and offered health advice regarding weight loss. A word count revealed “educate” and “encourage” were used in similar frequencies (69–73%) for patients; however, in the high weight bias group, these words were used less frequently (25%) for obese patients. The findings of this study suggest a need to educate HCPs, especially those with high weight bias, on the importance of empathy and compassion when providing treatment to all patients, regardless of weight, to improve patient outcomes.