While two of every three Americans today are clinically overweight or obese, the condition remains largely untreated by primary care physicians, a national survey by Pri-Med Institute reports.

"Although obesity is clearly implicated in the mounting toll of chronic disease in the US today, primary care physicians feel prepared to offer little more than conventional diet and exercise encouragement," Pri-Med Institute vice president and compliance officer Marissa Seligman, PharmD said. "Greater involvement by doctors in managing patient weight loss could make a vital contribution to reversing this epidemic, as well as enhance treatment of a wide range of conditions that are caused or exacerbated by excess weight."

"Our study shows that as doctors' confidence in addressing diet and nutrition issues increases, so does the frequency of active treatment interventions in managing patients' weight loss," Pri-Med Institute research director Anne Goodrich said. "These findings suggest that more aggressive and specific education of physicians on diet and weight control can lead to improved treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, osteoporosis and other conditions where excess weight is typically a key contributing factor."

The Centers for Disease Control now rank excess weight second only to tobacco as a cause of premature deaths in the US. Although the determination of 'overweight' or 'obese' is made by calculating an individual's body mass index (BMI), an average 5'10" male is likely to be classified as overweight above 175 pounds and obese above 205 pounds.

While 75% of the physicians surveyed report routinely querying patients about diet and exercise habits, most treat weight issues aggressively only when associated with obesity, diabetes and hypertension, the Pri-Med Institute study found. 70% of primary care doctors will refer patients with diabetes to a dietitian to treat for obesity, as will one in two physicians refer patients with obesity alone. For other conditions dietitian involvement is the exception.

The use of prescription drugs to aid in weight loss is rare, even in treating serious conditions. Fewer than one doctor in five reports prescribing drugs for diabetic patients, and fewer than one in eight for obesity. The vast majority dismisses existing drugs as ineffective and problematic in side effects, as well as generally not covered by health insurance plans. Virtually no study participants reported suggesting non-prescription diet remedies.

Fads and popular diets are a source of confusion for many primary care physicians. One in four believe that the popular low-carb diet fad is not effective in achieving permanent weight loss, but only 48% feel they can offer useful guidance on popular diets.

"The data points to a pressing need today to equip primary care physicians with the knowledge and resources to make diet and weight management consultation a routine role of clinical practice," Goodrich said.

Information provided by the Pri-Med. It is Pri-Med's goal to advance the practice of medicine and the outcomes of care for patients. Pri-Med is committed to researching the needs, attitudes and behaviors of the nation's clinicians as a crucial step toward providing superior quality continuing education that is evidence-based, and clinical management strategies that are innovative in design and that motivate physicians to adopt appropriate, up-to-date clinical practices.