Patient–Physician Gender Concordance and Weight-Related Counseling of Obese Patients

Abstract

Obesity affects approximately one third of Americans. Patient and provider characteristics such as gender may influence obesity care. Gender concordance has been associated with clinical practice patterns in chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, but its role in obesity care is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of patient-physician gender concordance with weight-related counseling among obese adults. A cross-sectional study using the 2005-2007 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey was conducted in 2010. Postvisit data from the clinical encounters of 5667 obese individuals and their physicians were analyzed to determine the association between patient-physician gender concordance (categorized using patient gender as the reference point as female gender-concordant, male gender-concordant, male gender-discordant, and female gender-discordant) and three types of weight-related counseling (diet/nutrition, exercise, and weight reduction). Diet/nutrition, exercise, and weight reduction counseling was provided to 30%, 23%, and 20% of obese patients, respectively. Patients in male gender-concordant patient-physician pairs had significantly higher adjusted odds of receiving diet/nutrition (OR=1.58, 95% CI=1.05, 2.40) and exercise counseling (OR=1.76, 95% CI=1.13, 2.74) than female gender-concordant pairs. There were no significant differences in any form of weight-related counseling between female gender-concordant and gender-discordant pairs. The findings of this study suggest that male patient-physician gender concordance is positively associated with diet/nutrition and exercise counseling.