Autor(es):
Teixeira, Filipa Valente 
; Ribeiro, José Luis Pais ; Maia, Ângela
Data: 2012
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/21036
Origem: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Assunto(s): Knowledge; Attitudes and practices in healthcare; Obesity; General practitioners
Descrição
Despite the implementation of various intervention measures, the number of obese
individuals remain high; thus, it is important to consider what is contributing to this
scenario. Authors have been striving to understand the role healthcare providers, especially in primary healthcare, seem to play in this context. The present review aims
to synthesize the main investigation results regarding beliefs, attitudes, and practices of
healthcare providers, as they seem to negatively influence the practitioner’s actions. The words “obesity”, “beliefs”, “healthcare professionals”, “general practitioners”, “attitudes”, “practices”, “health physicians”, and “family practitioners” were entered into databases, such as EBSCOHost, ScienceDirect, PsychInfo, PubMed, and SciELO. Thirteen studies from 1991 to 2011 were reviewed. The data indicate a lack of appropriate understanding and adequate competence regarding obesity, which likely contributes to ambivalent belief development and negative attitudes toward obese individuals, who are described as unmotivated, lazy, and lacking self-control. These professionals consider it hard to deal
with obesity, manifesting low expectations of success regarding weight loss, thus considering themselves unsuccessful. Their practices are inconsistent, mirroring a certain
skepticism towards the efficacy of available interventions. Either during graduation or
as active practitioners, it is imperative to make healthcare providers aware of the impact
their beliefs regarding obesity can exert on their practices, as these may impair appropriate and effective treatment delivery to obese individuals.
