Doctor’s Support Boosts Weight Loss

Doctor’s Support Boosts Weight Loss

~!~ A new U//S// government funded study has suggested that a doctor plays an important role in terms of weight loss program or regime*s efficacy for obese patients// The study team analyzed the records for 347 obese patients// Their relationship with the primary care doctors was analyzed// 

~!~ The study published in the journal Patient Education and Counseling has found that helpfulness of a doctor, a patient on an average lost 6 pounds more compared to the cases in which the doctor wasn*t much helpful// 

~!~ The patients who rated their doctors the highest in terms of helpfulness lost 11 pounds on an average compared to five pounds lost by patients who rated their doctors at lowest rank in terms of helpfulness// The study team analyzed the study group for a period of two years// 

~!~ Study lead Dr// Wendy Bennett, an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said, **This trial supports other evidence that providers are very important in their patients* weight loss efforts// Incorporating physicians into future programs might lead patients to more successful weight loss//**

~!~ The study included 347 obese individuals who participated in the Practice based Opportunities for Weight Reduction, or POWER, two year trial to measure the benefits of working with a coach or being guided by a physician// The patients were surveyed and asked about their relationship with the physician under whose guidance they were trying to shed the extra weight//