BS O03 Awareness of Obesity and Morbid Obesity amongst General Population: a pilot, cross-sectional survey study

Abstract

Abstract Background There has been a serious concern about Obesity and obesity related diseases - there has been co-ordinated efforts to get the message to the general population to encourage them to be more active in self-care. This study was an attempt to assess the prevalent awareness in the general population to understand whether the ongoing efforts have achieved the desired goals. Methods The study was coordinated with the assistance of a General practitioner in North West England. Patients attending the GP Surgery physically were requested to fill up a small questionnaire without resorting to any online resources. Patient below sixteen years of age, unwilling patients or patients with dementia were excluded from the study. The questions were focussed on defining obesity and morbid obesity, the different obesity related illnesses and the possible options available to an obese patient in need of treatment. The study was conducted over a period of two months and responses available from 226 patients who participated were analysed. Results 73% of responders were aware of obesity as a disease entity but less than 60% could differentiate between obesity and morbid obesity. However, less than 30% were aware of the BMI value beyond which a person could be termed obese. Significantly, less than 1% could pick up four obesity associated diseases. Conclusions It appears that more focussed population based primary prevention is necessary to stem the obesity epidemic. Awareness appears to be patch and in a few groups, lacking. A larger population based study with subgroup analysis based on geographical location, age and ethnicity may be important to assess the situation in a greater detail.