title: The importance of gender of patients and general practitioners in relation to treatment practices for overweight.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Several studies suggest that men and women are treated differently for similar disease including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Differences in attitudes and treatment practices towards men and women with obesity are not well recognized.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the attitudes and treatment practices among Danish general practitioners (GPs), in relation to treatment of overweight, while taking gender of both the patients and practitioners into account.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaire inventory covertly examining attitudes and practices among Danish general practitioners towards treatment of overweight. All 3.637 general practitioners from the Danish Medical Association register were invited to participate in the survey. In total 1.136 participated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The GPs found weight loss to be more important for overweight male than overweight female patients. They also treated complications to overweight more rigorously among male than female patients, and recommended lipid lowering medicine more often to male than female overweight patients. In addition, the younger female GPs and older male GPs more often said that they would treat an overweight patient with lipid lowering medicine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among general practitioners in Denmark, treatment for weight loss is more often practiced for overweight male than overweight female patients presenting with same symptoms. In addition, hyperlipidemia among overweight males is also more often treated with lipid lowering medicine than hyperlipidemia among overweight females.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Preventive Medicine, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, The Capital Region, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jeanett Friis
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Rohde
authors.affiliation: Institute of Preventive Medicine, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, The Capital Region, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Marie Vik
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Hessner
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health, Research Unit of General Practice, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jørgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lous
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health, Section of General Practice, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Danish Health and Medicines Authority, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ulla
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hølund
authors.affiliation: Institute of Preventive Medicine, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, The Capital Region, Copenhagen, Denmark; The Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition Exercise & Eating Disorders, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Berit Lilienthal
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Heitmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003718:Denmark; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D050177:Overweight / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
references.citation: Blood Press. 2011 Jun;20(3):145-52
references.pmid: 21133826
references.citation: Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1984 Nov 10;289(6454):1257-61
references.pmid: 6437507
references.citation: BMJ. 2006 Jan 14;332(7533):73-8
references.pmid: 16371403
references.citation: Atheroscler Suppl. 2004 Oct;5(3):91-7
references.pmid: 15531281
references.citation: Circulation. 2006 Jan 31;113(4):525-34
references.pmid: 16449732
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 2006 Sep;96(9):1662-8
references.pmid: 16873748
references.citation: Obes Res. 2001 Apr;9(4):257-63
references.pmid: 11331429
references.citation: Diabetes Care. 1994 Sep;17(9):961-9
references.pmid: 7988316
references.citation: Ugeskr Laeger. 1999 Jan 4;161(1):44-8
references.pmid: 9922688
references.citation: Ann Intern Med. 1995 Apr 1;122(7):481-6
references.pmid: 7872581
references.citation: Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1984 May 12;288(6428):1401-4
references.pmid: 6426576
references.citation: Arch Intern Med. 2004 May 10;164(9):934-42
references.pmid: 15136300
references.citation: Appl Nurs Res. 2011 Aug;24(3):127-37
references.pmid: 20974067
references.citation: Womens Health Issues. 2007 May-Jun;17(3):139-49
references.pmid: 17481918
references.citation: Ugeskr Laeger. 1999 Jan 4;161(1):40-3
references.pmid: 9922687