Healthy lifestyle Doctors barely offer help

Doctors often do not help with the lifestyle change

13.02.2012

Lifestyle change could significantly improve the health of many patients. However, the treating physicians rarely try to influence their patients' lifestyle.

While talking with patients usually identifies the risk factors of an unhealthy lifestyle and the benefits of transition, support for targeted programs against physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, excessive alcohol consumption or tobacco smoking is rarely provided to those affected. This is the conclusion of a survey by study leader Christina Huy and colleagues from the Mannheim Institute of Public Health at the University of Heidelberg. The researchers have the results of their survey in the journal „DMW German Medical Weekly Journal“ released.

Unused options for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases
As part of their current research, the researchers of the Mannheim Institute of Public Health surveyed 260 GPs in Baden-Württemberg in their assessment of their own options for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in their patients and whether they actually offer them to those affected. Researchers led by study leader Christina Huy found that family physicians rarely try to influence their patients' lifestyle. Four out of ten physicians in the majority of their patients carry out lifestyle advice on diet, physical activity, tobacco and alcohol consumption. However, physicians are reluctant to offer their patients lifestyle support options such as exercise or nutritional therapies. As a reason for the lack of support of their patients in the change of lifestyle doctors call time lack, little confidence in the motivation of those affected and the low chance of success. Inadequate compensation has also been mentioned by many doctors as a reason for their failure to support their patients in lifestyle change.

Female doctors are more willing to help patients than male colleagues
Since many physicians do not believe in a successful change in their lifestyle, they limit themselves to mentioning the risk factors and the benefits of having a healthy lifestyle during the counseling sessions. Further information is the exception, according to the latest survey. For example, only 20 percent of primary care physicians have provided their patients with written informational material, and contacts to other services have been made much less frequently, according to Christina Huy and colleagues. Striking was, according to the researchers, the difference between the willingness of the medical doctors. Female doctors were about twice as likely as their male counterparts to help patients to change their lifestyle.

Improvement of the prevention offer demanded
According to the results of the latest survey, the willingness to provide comprehensive support was also dependent on the patients' medical condition. For example, physicians were most likely to be willing to give more in-depth advice to their patients on high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes. In these diseases, the doctors not only considered themselves to be competent in the treatment, but were also of the opinion that they were able to successfully motivate their patients to change their lifestyle. In general, the physicians surveyed have a positive attitude towards health promotion and prevention. According to the researchers around Christina Huy prevails here „a discrepancy between the potential and the implementation of cardiovascular preventive measures in the primary care setting.“ The physicians could help their patients significantly better in lifestyle change than they currently do. The physicians should therefore receive special training, but also the financial and organizational conditions would have to be significantly expanded in terms of improving the prevention offer, according to the researchers of the Mannheim Institute of Public Health. (Fp)