|
|
Winter 2007 |
 |
|
Online Only
P R A C T I C E M A N A G E M E N T
Family
physicians surveyed on nutrition advising attitudes
|
|
|
Stock Photo |
|
|
|
|
A
January 2005 self-administered survey focused on family physicians’
nutrition advising
attitudes and behaviours in their practice setting and their knowledge
of the Canada Food Guide to Healthy Eating.
|
|
|
|
By Tracy English |
|
In January 2005, a self-administered
survey was sent to all family physicians licensed with the College
of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador. This survey
focused on family physicians’ in their practice setting. The
survey also assessed family physicians’ knowledge of, attitudes
towards, and use of the Canada Food Guide to Healthy Eating.
A total of 237 (47.3%) surveys were
completed and returned. Some of the key findings of the survey were:
-
37.3% reported having 10 hours or less
of nutrition training during medical school and 11.4% reported
having no specific nutrition training during medical school.
-
Only 23.0% of respondents reported
that they had formal training outside their medical school program
(i.e. Continuing Education opportunities).
-
Most respondents (87%) felt that
nutrition was very important to health and felt the family physician
played a very important role in promoting nutrition to patients
(70%). Over 95% of respondents reported that they discussed
nutrition with their patients.
-
The majority of respondents indicated
that a dietician/nutritionist is both the most appropriate (80.7%)
and the most effective (71.4%) primary health care provider to
discuss nutrition with patients. A smaller number viewed family
physicians as the most appropriate (18.8%) and most effective
(25.9%) for this discussion. The majority of respondents (86.1%)
reported having a dietician/nutritionist easily accessible in the
community.
-
Challenges to the delivery of
nutrition information identified by respondents included lack of
time (94.7%), insufficient training (64.6%), difficulty motivating
patients to eat healthy (59.3%), and difficulty in discussing
complex nutrition and health information with patients (47.3%).
-
More than 75% of survey respondents
felt that increasing the number of dieticians/nutritionists
accessible to family physicians was the best strategy to overcome
the challenges they face. Receiving more nutrition education in
medical school was selected by 38.7%.
-
Almost all respondents (95.6%) were
aware of the Canada Food Guide and 82.3% thought that it was useful
when discussing nutrition with patients, although only 59.2% have
copies of the Canada Food Guide on hand in their office/clinic and
only 45.1% have the Canada Food Guide posted in their office/clinic.
Tracy English (née Weir), a recent
graduate from the Division of Community Health and Humanities at
Memorial University, would like to extend special thanks to all family
physicians who completed and returned her survey. Their time and
consideration is greatly appreciated and was integral to the completion
of her Masters thesis. If you have any questions or comments, please
feel free to email Tracy.
|
