Abstracts / Posters
Knowledge, attitudes and confidence of general practitioners and practice nurses in lifestyle management
Accepted for poster presentation, Diabetes UK 2003
The Counterweight Project Team
Introduction: Lifestyle change and modest weight loss improve diabetes control and can delay diabetes development. However, little is known about ability and willingness of primary care staff to promote such change.
Methods: We examined by questionnaire the knowledge, attitude, confidence and willingness of primary care staff to treat obesity. 180 General Practitioners (GPs) & 96 Practice Nurses (PNs) participate in the Counterweight Programme, a 7-centre, 40-practice obesity project. The questionnaire was returned by 64% of GPs (46% male) and 72% of PNs (all female).
Results: Knowledge scores were poor for GPs and PNs (36.1%:38.7%;P=0.27). While both groups recognised medical consequences of obesity and central fat distribution, knowledge was poor for practical nutrition and physical activity recommendations. GPs and PNs had relatively higher scores for attitude (59.4/80: 64.3/80)(GPs
Conclusion: Limited basic nutrition and physical activity knowledge may limit GP and PN ability to effectively promote lifestyle change. PNs were more optimistic about lifestyle management.