Patients’ acceptance of obesity as a chronic disease: a qualitative study in Lebanon

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study explores patients’ acceptance of obesity as a chronic disease.DesignCross-sectional, qualitative study using semistructured phone interviews.SettingThe study was conducted in specialty and primary care clinics from a single central tertiary hospital in Lebanon. Recruitment took place between February and March 2021.Participants and methods25 adult patients with overweight or obesity were interviewed and the interviews were analysed thematically.ResultsFour themes emerged: (1) patients’ knowledge and awareness of obesity are based on their own experience; (2) there is ambivalence or conditional acceptance of obesity as a chronic disease; and patients with overweight or obesity perceived (3) that the role of physicians in obesity management is related to complications and (4) that obesity management is as simple as eating less and exercising more.ConclusionsThe study shows the studied population’s ambivalence in accepting obesity as a chronic disease. Individuals with overweight or obesity considered the role of the healthcare professional in obesity conditional on morbid obesity and the presence of medical complications of obesity. Findings of this study advocate for educational campaigns about the nature of obesity as a chronic disease and the role of healthcare professionals in obesity management.

Updates in Medical and Surgical Weight Loss

“…16(p418) Several other medical associations and societies have followed suit. 16,28 Viewing obesity as a chronic illness is not new to health care providers, but society continues to view it as a lifestyle choice rather than a disease process. It will take education and time to shift the social stigma of obesity.…”

Reflexiones de la prescripción de ejercicio físico en la consulta del médico familiar

“…El médico familiar que realiza ejercicio generalmente recomienda que su paciente lo haga, lo que incide en romper el comportamiento sedentario, brindando beneficios para otorgar una consulta integral 44 . Se ha notado que si los médicos realizaban mayor cantidad de actividad física, también exponencialmente ofrecían consejos en actividad física a sus pacientes, sobre todo si acudían a consultas subsecuentes para atender enfermedades crónicas 45 . Existe una gran área de oportunidad si los profesionales de salud trabajan de forma colaborativa con programas que estén alineados a necesidades comunitarias locales, reforzando positivamente la prescripción de actividad física y el cuidado de salud poblacional.…”

“…Al Arab et al 45 reportaron que los pacientes tienen ambivalencia en aceptar el sobrepeso y obesidad como una enfermedad, considerando que el médico tiene un rol únicamente para solucionar complicaciones, así como el manejo es simplemente «comer menos y moverse más», lo cual, según lo analizado, dista mucho del papel que el médico familiar puede tener en la prevención y tratamiento de esta población. Conforme lo comentado previamente, debemos romper esa pasividad y tratar de una forma más dinámica a las personas para obtener mejores resultados.…”

Moving beyond eat less, move more using willpower: Reframing obesity as a chronic disease impact of the 2020 Canadian obesity guidelines reframed narrative on perceptions of self and the patient–provider relationship

“…A recent qualitative study in Lebanon reported an ambivalent reaction from persons with obesity to being presented with the chronic disease model of obesity. 29 The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of this core story on internalized weight bias and perceived patient-provider relationship in a sample of PwO.…”