title: Talk weight: an observational study of communication about patient weight in primary care consultations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is a major public health issue and primary care practitioners are well placed to opportunistically raise the issue of overweight or obesity with their patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the prevalence of weight discussion in primary care consultations with overweight and obese patients, in a practice in Fife, Scotland, and described weight-related communication using video analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Weight was raised in 25% of consultations with overweight and obese patients. GPs initiated weight discussion more often than patients; however, these attempts were often blocked by patients. Weight-related outcomes were more common when patients initiated the weight discussion. This study confirms the potential of video analysis for understanding primary care weight discussion. It also suggests that GPs may benefit from a communication-based intervention to tackle patient blocking behaviours and contributes to the evidence suggesting that interventions targeted to increase the prevalence of weight-related discussions with their patients are needed.
authors: 1Principal Teaching Fellow & Co-Director of the Centre for Higher Education Research,School of Medicine,Population and Behavioural Health Sciences,University of St Andrews,Fife,UK.
authors: Anita
authors: A
authors: Laidlaw
authors: 2PhD Student,School of Medicine,Population and Behavioural Health Sciences,University of St Andrews,Fife,UK.
authors: Calum
authors: C
authors: McHale
authors: 3Trainee Health Psychologist,Health Psychology Service for Health and Social Care,NHS Lanarkshire,North Lanarkshire Council,Motherwell,UK.
authors: Heather
authors: H
authors: Locke
authors: 4Lecturer,School of Medicine, Population and Behavioural Health Sciences,University of St Andrews,Fife,UK.
authors: Jo
authors: J
authors: Cecil
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D050177:Overweight / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012606:Scotland; D014743:Videotape Recording
keywords: General Practitioners; communication; consultations; obesity; patients; primary care; weight