Doctors have it rough as it is, and with America’s obesity epidemic reaching it’s highest rates ever, it appears they may just be giving up on trying to convince patients of the importance of diet and exercise on their health.
Statistics show that only about one half of obese Americans are advised by their doctors to limit fatty foods, and that this number hasn’t changed since in almost a decade, despite the fact the number of obese Americans has skyrocketed.
According to data from the 2009 National Healthcare Disparities Report, doctors discussed food choices with 52% of their obese white patients compared to 45% of obese blacks and 42% of obese Latinos. It also states that poor adults and less-educated people were less likely to be told to cut down on high-fat and high-cholesterol foods, even though research finds that these demographics consume the highest number of these foods on average, and are most likely to be obese.
The medical implications and risks of being obese include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, heart attack, and diabetes. These specific conditions can be controlled and managed with medication, but also through simply living a healthy lifestyle, and for obese patients dropping excess body weight.
Yet, it’s one of those things that is easier said than done. America has such a high rate of obesity, and such a low rate of weight loss success, yet the fitness and weight loss industry grosses billions of dollars a year. People look for quick fixes, pills, diets and gimmicks, when they know that simply eating less, eating healthy foods and getting in regular exercise will do the trick.
It’s easy to point the finger at doctors for not discussing lifestyle changes, but it’s hard to tell if a lecture from their doctor will do anything to change overweight patients’ behavior. Many obese people claim they avoid going to the doctor because they are embarrassed about their weight and health, but one thing is for sure, a straight forward talking to about how excess weight negatively effects health couldn’t hurt.
