Predictors of Counselling Related to a Healthy Lifestyle Carried Out by a General Practitioner

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess whether general practitioners (GPs) monitor and evaluate the health behavior of their patients in the field of a diet, physical activity, and weight control, and whether they provide appropriate counselling as part of this evaluation. Predictors of those activities among physicians were also determined. The cross-sectional study was conducted in the Piotrkowski district among 200 GPs. The questionnaire covered socio-demographic data and lifestyle characteristics of the physicians, their role as healthy lifestyle providers, and whether they assess lifestyle characteristics of their patients and perform healthy lifestyle counselling. More than 60% of the GPs did not evaluate lifestyle features during their patients’ examination. In total, 56% of the GPs provided healthy lifestyle recommendations among patients who have not been diagnosed with chronic lifestyle-related diseases but who do not follow healthy recommendations, and 73% of GPs provided recommendations to patients with chronic diseases related to lifestyle. The study showed that the chance to assess lifestyle characteristics of the patients was significantly higher for the GPs who believed that they were obliged to do so (OR = 6.5; p = 0.002). The chance to recommend a healthy lifestyle among patients who have not been diagnosed with chronic lifestyle-related diseases but who do not follow healthy recommendations was 5.9 times higher among the GPs working in the public sector (p < 0.001) and 16.3 times higher for these who believed that they had sufficient knowledge to provide the advice (p = 0.02). The following predictors of providing a healthy lifestyle counselling among patients with diagnosed chronic lifestyle-related diseases were identified: conviction that a GPs is obligated to provide it (OR = 4.4; p = 0.02), sufficient knowledge (OR = 8.7; p = 0.01), and following health recommendations by themselves (OR = 3.9; p = 0.04). Conclusions: The identified predictors are crucial for the development of appropriate strategies aiming at increasing GPs’ involvement in preventive measures and consequently at improving the population’s health.

Refining a primary care shared decision-making aid for lifestyle change: a mixed-methods study

“…Most felt equipped to initiate conversations, and that they were sufficiently knowledgeable about current dietary advice guidelines and recommended levels of physical activity for patients with increased cardiovascular risk factors. Similar findings were reported in studies where primary care physicians reported having adequate knowledge and understanding about the health benefits for patients associated with achieving recommended levels of physical activity [41], even though other work has demonstrated that physical activity is less likely to be discussed with patients compared to other modifiable factors, such as smoking or blood pressure [42]. While there is evidence to suggest that brief interventions can be effective in producing small but significant behavioural changes in patients [43], behaviour change conversations around physical activity can be challenging [44,45].…”

A Step towards Understanding and Tackling Health Inequalities: The Use of Secondary Prevention Services and the Need for Health Promotion in a Rural Setting

“…Similar results were reported in two other studies [42,67]. It appears that healthcare professionals do not sufficiently engage in preventive counselling [68][69][70], and that their cancer prevention cancelling needs improvement [42,71]. Unsurprisingly, 54.9% of our respondents listed the need for promoting free screening tests among their most important unmet healthcare needs.…”

The prevalence of five lifestyle risk factors in primary care physicians: A cross-sectional study in Switzerland

“…Currently, a “healthy lifestyle” is defined as having sufficient physical activity, a well balanced diet, a Body Mass Index (BMI) within the recommended range, a non or moderate consumption of alcohol, being a non-smoker and obtaining sufficient daily sleep ( Znyk et al, 2019 , Liu et al, 2016 ). These six health-related lifestyle factors have often been assessed in the general adult population, and several studies showed that a majority of individuals presented multiple health risk behaviours ( Liu et al, 2016 , Ford et al, 2012 , John et al, 2018 Apr 27 , Poortinga, 2007 ).…”

“…Although physicians are supposed to recommend healthy behaviours to their patients, they themselves do not always meet these criteria ( Wilf Miron et al, 2019 , Borgan et al, 2015 , Frank et al, 1998 , Bakhshi and While, 2013 ). A recent study carried out in Poland showed that only 11% of general practitioners (GPs) met the criteria for five healthy lifestyle factors assessed (a non or moderate alcohol consumption, a non-smoking status, a BMI within the normal range, a healthy diet, and sufficient physical activity) ( Znyk et al, 2019 ).…”

“…With regards to physical activity, most studies showed that physicians were generally active and often more active than the general population for identical age groups ( McGrady et al, 2007 , Suija et al, 2010 , Mandil et al, 2016 ). Research on the BMI of physicians showed results that varied greatly within countries, ranging from approximately every third physician to more than every second physician being overweight or obese ( Znyk et al, 2019 , Wilf Miron et al, 2019 , Borgan et al, 2015 , Desprès et al, 2010 , Suija et al, 2010 , Ajani, 2004 ).…”