
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Fraser, Sally 
A1  - Leveritt, Michael 
A1  - Ball, Lauren 
T1  - Patients&#x92; perceptions of their general practitioner&#x92;s health and weight influences their perceptions of nutrition and exercise advice received
JF  - Journal of Primary Health Care
JO  - J Prim Health Care
Y1  - 2013
VL  - 5
IS  - 4
SP  - 301
EP  - 307
KW  - 
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1071/HC13301 
N2  - INTRODUCTION: General practitioners (GPs) play an important role in the management of patients who are overweight or obese. Previous research suggests that GPs&#x92; physical characteristics may influence patients&#x92; perceptions of health care received during consultations, mediating the likelihood of patients following health advice provided by GPs. This study aimed to explore patients&#x92; perceptions of their GP&#x92;s health status and its influence on patients&#x92; perceptions of healthy eating and exercise advice. METHODS: An interpretive approach to phenomenology underpinned the qualitative inquiry and study design. Twenty-one participants (aged 55.9 &#xb1; 6.5 years; 14 females, 7 males) who had previously received healthy eating and/or exercise advice from a GP participated in an individual semi-structured interview. A constant comparison approach to thematic analysis was conducted. FINDINGS: Participants identified three key indicators of perceived health of their GP. These included the GP&#x92;s physical appearance, particularly weight status; perceived absence of ill health; and disclosure of a GP&#x92;s health behaviours. Participants expressed favourable perceptions of the weight status of their GP. Participants expected their GP to be a healthy role model and often, but not always, felt more confident receiving advice from a GP that they perceived as healthy. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight that a GP&#x92;s perceived health status influences patients&#x92; perceptions of the health advice received during consultations. These findings provide a foundation for future research that may allow GPs to modify patients&#x92; perceptions of their health status in order to facilitate behaviour change in overweight or obese patients. KEYWORDS: Body weight; general practitioners; obesity; overweight; physicians; primary health care 
ER  -

