This article examines the frequency and quality of weight loss advice received by obese adults from health care professionals. Using a national sample of 1,873 obese adults, researchers conducted a multivariate linear regression to determine characteristics associated with receipt of weight loss advice.
- Of respondents who had visited a doctor in the last year, 40 percent had been advised to lose weight.
- Men were less likely to have received advice to lose weight than women.
- Health care professionals recommended, on average, a weight reduction of 21 percent of body mass.
- Of respondents advised to lose weight, almost 65 percent were told to change their diet, 88 percent to increase physical activity, and almost 60 percent to use both strategies.