Study of the knowledge, attitudes and practices of physicians towards obesity management in primary health care in Bahrain.

AIM To examine the opinions of physicians in Bahrain regarding their role in obesity control, and to evaluate their knowledge, attitudes and practices towards obesity prevention and management in primary health care. DESIGN A cross-sectional survey of physicians in Bahrain. A single-stage cluster sample was used, which included twelve health centres and 107 physicians. Ninety-seven physicians participated in the study with a 90% response rate. A self-administered questionnaire was used to measure physicians' knowledge and practices, their perceived role and potential limitations. Correction for design effect and finite population were considered in the analysis. RESULTS The majority of physicians in Bahrain (92%) were aware of the obesity epidemic and 60% of them felt capable of assuming a major role in obesity control, regardless of their negative views towards the success rates of weight management. Only 36% agreed that they had effective weight-management practices. They were knowledgeable about weight-loss goals and showed a reasonable level of obesity identification, especially as part of chronic disease care (71%). Physicians reported a high rate of utilization of various weight-loss strategies, except for pharmacotherapy and surgery. The major barriers identified in patient care included time constraints (91%), lack of specialty clinics (81%), absence of guidelines (78%) and an inadequate number of dietitians (71%). Sixty-four per cent reported that training in lifestyle counselling and behaviour modification are important requirements. CONCLUSIONS Physicians in Bahrain showed a reasonable level of interest in participating in obesity prevention and management. It seems that there would be a good opportunity for better practice if physicians were supported with appropriate training and the constraints of their working environment were adequately addressed.