A survey of 500 primary care physicians around the country reveals that doctors considered overweight or obese were much less likely to diagnose obese patients than physicians at a more “normal” weight.
Doctors with a normal BMI (18.5-25) were more likely to discuss weight loss with obese patients (30% vs 18%), give advice on diet (53% vs 37%), and exercise (56% vs 38%). The study, published in Obesity, also revealed that the probability of normal BMI physicians recording an obesity diagnosis for a patient was 93 percent and only 7 percent for overweight or obese doctors.
A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology finds that wearing high heels may lead to damage of the calf muscles.
The study included women, teens to early 30s, who had worn high heels for at least 40 hours a week for a minimum of two years. The control group consisted of women who rarely or never wore heels. The research team used ultrasound probes, electrodes, and motion-capture markers to monitor the participants as they walked barefoot and then in heels down a 26 ft long walkway.
The findings suggest that women in high heels walked with shorter and more forceful strides (even in bare feet), engaging their muscles instead of their tendons, potentially leaving them more vulnerable to injury and muscle fatigue.
New research published in the Journal of Business Ethics shows that people may lie more frequently when text messaging.
Participants consisted of 170 business students conducting fake stock trades in person, by video, or through text. Once trades were completed, the buyers were asked if their brokers had engaged in any deceit. After examining which brokers were considered liars, the researchers examined which form of communication was used to make the trade.
It was revealed that buyers who received information through text messages were 95 percent more likely to report a deception than if they had communicated through video. They were also 31 percent more likely to report that they were deceived than those who made the transaction face-to-face and 18 percent more likely than those who had an audio chat.
The researchers note that texting involves less scrutiny than communication methods such as video, where participants may suffer from “spotlight effect”.