title: Dutch General Practitioners' weight management policy for overweight and obese patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  General practitioners (GPs) can play an important role in both the prevention and management of overweight and obesity. Current general practice guidelines in the Netherlands allow room for GPs to execute their own weight management policy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine GPs' current weight management policy and the factors associated with this policy.
  
  
  METHODS
  800 Dutch GPs were asked to complete a questionnaire in December 2012. The questionnaire items were based on the Dutch Obesity Standard for GPs. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analyses in 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 307 GPs (39.0%) responded. Most respondents (82.9%) considered weight management as part of their responsibility for providing care. GPs aged <48 years discussed weight less frequent. Next, weight is less frequently discussed with patients without weight-related comorbidities or with moderately overweight patients compared to obese patients. On average, 47.7% of the GPs reported to refer obese patients to a weight management professional, preferably a dietitian (98.3%). GPs with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2) were less likely to refer obese patients. In addition, GPs who had frequent contact with a dietitian were more likely to refer obese patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the context of General Practice and preventive medicine, GPs' discussion of weight and the variety of obesity-determinants with their moderately overweight patients deserves more attention, especially from younger GPs. Strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration between GPs and dietitians could increase the referral percentage for dietary treatment.
authors.affiliation: NIVEL Utrecht, PO Box 1568, 3500 BN Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Corelien Jj
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kloek
authors.affiliation: NIVEL Utrecht, PO Box 1568, 3500 BN Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tol
authors.affiliation: NIVEL Utrecht, PO Box 1568, 3500 BN Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Cindy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Veenhof
authors.affiliation: VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ineke
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: van der Wulp
authors.affiliation: NIVEL Utrecht, PO Box 1568, 3500 BN Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ilse Cs
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Swinkels
keywords: General practitioners; Obesity; Public health; Referral and consultation