ST. LOUIS, July 18 (UPI) -- Pediatricians who talk to obese patients and their families about losing weight feel their conversations are futile, found a U.S. study.
Despite their best efforts to provide families with good advice, doctors find families lack the motivation or are so overwhelmed with the stresses of daily life that they don't attempt to attack weight problems by eating healthier and exercising more, according to lead author Dr. Sarah Barlow, of the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
The study was based on face-to-face interviews with eight St. Louis area pediatricians from diverse backgrounds and practice settings.
Families who changed what they ate and how much they exercised typically came to appointments with a desire to lose weight and were already motivated to change their behavior, according to the study published in Child: Care, Health, Development.
The pediatricians recognized that parents and children lack time for food preparation and physical activity and that low-income patients have many pressing needs, according to Barlow.
