title: Counseling overweight in primary care: an analysis of patient-physician encounters.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess general practitioners' (GPs') and patients' practices and attitudes regarding overweight encountered during preventive counseling talks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve GPs audiotaped their preventive counseling talks with overweight patients, including the assessment of individual risk profiles and further medical recommendations. Fifty-two dialogues were transcribed and submitted to qualitative content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dietary advice and increased physical activity are mostly discussed during talks. Recommendations appear to be more individual if patients are given the chance to reflect on causes of their overweight during counseling talks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A dialogue approach affects the strength and quality of weight loss counseling in primary care. However, physicians and overweight patients rarely agreed on weight loss goals during the physician-patient talks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patient centeredness, particularly the integration of patients' perceptions towards weight management, might be an important step towards improving weight counseling in primary care.
authors: Institute for General Practice and Family Medicine, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. christoph.heintze@charite.de
authors: Christoph
authors: C
authors: Heintze
authors: Ulrike
authors: U
authors: Metz
authors: Daphne
authors: D
authors: Hahn
authors: Jörg
authors: J
authors: Niewöhner
authors: Ulrich
authors: U
authors: Schwantes
authors: Julia
authors: J
authors: Wiesner
authors: Vittoria
authors: V
authors: Braun
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003376:Counseling; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000523:psychology; D005858:Germany; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011320:Primary Health Care; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013637:Tape Recording