Do physicians preach what they practice? A study of physicians' health habits and counseling practices.
We examined the relation of physicians' clinical specialty, personal health habits, and health-related beliefs to their practices in counseling about smoking, weight, exercise, and alcohol. We surveyed a random sample of members of a county medical society in selected specialties. Physicians with better personal health habits and more positive attitudes toward counseling counsel a broader range of patients and counsel more aggressively. Surgeons counsel less than nonsurgeons, even after controlling for differences in health-related attitudes and personal habits.
D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001835:Body Weight; D002140:California; D003376:Counseling; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008511:Medicine; D005082:Physical Exertion; D010820:Physicians; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012907:Smoking; D013038:Specialization; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires