Provider selection

When you pick a hairstylist, you don't want to pick someone with unhealthy, or unattractive hair. You wouldn't pick a butcher who is a vegetarian, or a baker who doesn't eat sweets. Why would you pick a health care provider who is unhealthy? I know I haven't really thought about the health of my doctor, but I may have to change that. It's possible that overweight doctors are less attuned to the weight issues affecting their patients.

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Healthy-weight physicians were more likely to believe that doctors should model weight-related behaviors, such as maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly compared with their overweight or obese counterparts. They also said they believed that overweight or obese patients would be less likely to trust advice given by a physician who also was overweight or obese.

Doctors were more likely to record a diagnosis of obesity or start a weight loss conversation if they perceived the patient's body weight met or exceeded their own.

However, obese and overweight physicians were more likely to think they were successful in helping their patients lose weight, although the actual percentage was very low.

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This study makes me wonder is personal practices affect other aspects of a doctor's care. Would a doctor with a poor diet not see a poor diet in their patient as a problem? Also, if my weight were to sneak up again, would my doctor point it out? These are all issues to consider when selecting a primary care physician.