Challenges and Gaps in the Work of Family Physicians in the Treatment of Obesity: an Analysis of Needs and Opportunities for Improvement

The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide, and it is one of the major global health problems. Most of the people with obesity first of all visit a primary care physician. However, the diagnosis and management of such patients is often entrusted to other healthcare professionals, such as endocrinologists, nutritionists, gastroenterologists, etc. Due to the shortage and often inaccessibility of highly specialised medical care, most obese patients do not have a diagnosis and do not receive rational treatment for their disease. Despite the growing prevalence of obesity and its association with other comorbidities, the percentage of doctors diagnosing and treating obesity is low. The objective: to identify challenges and gaps in the work of family physicians in the treatment of obesity, to analyze the needs and opportunities for improvement. Materials and methods. As part of our study, we developed and implemented an anonymous online questionnaire targeting primary care physicians. Results. At the time of publication, 130 doctors had completed the questionnaire. The analysis of the results shows that most of the surveyed doctors had relatively short professional experience – up to 5 years. At the same time, 28.2% of the respondents had a significant work experience of more than 20 years, and 18.3% of the survey participants had work experience in the range of 10–20 years. Of the 130 doctors surveyed, as of the beginning of December 2024, 99 physicians worked as general practitioners (76.15%). Also, 20 general practitioners (15.38%) who provide outpatient care, and a few obstetrician-gynaecologists, gastroenterologists and endocrinologists completed our questionnaire. 21.1% of doctors reported that there were no scales in their offices, and about 20% said they did not have a height meter. These figures indicate a significant shortage of basic equipment necessary for quality screening, monitoring and management of overweight (OW) and obese patients. Conclusions. Only 25% of doctors follow current Ukrainian and international recommendations for screening and diagnosing obesity and OW. Almost a third of doctors inform patients about their diagnosis of OW or obesity. However, barriers to communication, such as fear of a negative patient reaction or lack of time, require the implementation of training programmes to develop doctors’ communication skills. Currently, the data presented are interim, our research is still ongoing, and we will definitely share the results with the medical community in Ukraine.