Health Behaviors Associated With Overweight and Obesity Among Physicians

TL;DR

This study finds that physicians with higher BMI tend to have poorer health behaviors, such as less dietary caution and less physical activity.

Contribution

The study identifies specific health behaviors linked to BMI in physicians, offering insights for targeted workplace wellness programs.

Findings

Higher BMI among physicians is associated with lower adherence to health-promoting behaviors like dietary harm avoidance.

Physicians in surgical specialties report lower health behavior scores compared to non-surgical peers.

Dietary harm avoidance and organized physical exercise are protective factors against overweight and obesity.

Abstract

Overweight and obesity among physicians are increasingly recognized as relevant to workforce health, quality of care, and the credibility of lifestyle counseling delivered to patients. Physicians may face constraints that affect dietary patterns, physical activity, and daily routine, behaviors directly related to BMI. However, data linking specific lifestyle behaviors to BMI in this population remain limited.

To examine associations between self‐reported health behaviors and BMI among physicians and outline implications for workplace wellness.

Cross‐sectional online survey of physicians using the 26‐item Healthy Lifestyle and Personal Control Questionnaire (HLPCQ). Participants were categorized into normal weight (BMI < 25) and overweight or obesity (BMI ≥ 25) groups based on their BMI. Group differences and multivariable logistic regression were applied.

Of 200 respondents, 144 complete cases were analyzed; 54.2% had a BMI < 25. Higher BMI was associated with lower adherence to health‐promoting behaviors, notably Dietary Harm Avoidance (p < 0.01), Daily Routine (p = 0.05), and Organized Physical Exercise (p = 0.03). Regression analysis identified Dietary Harm Avoidance and Organized Physical Exercise as protective factors against overweight and obesity (p < 0.01). Physicians in surgical specialties reported lower health behavior scores than non‐surgical peers, particularly in Daily Routine (p < 0.01) and in total lifestyle scores (p = 0.01).

Specific lifestyle behaviors, particularly dietary harm avoidance and organized physical activity, were associated with BMI among physicians. These associations may help inform future research on modifiable behavioral factors related to overweight and obesity among physicians.