Comparing clinical practice habits among obesity medicine physicians by patient, physician and clinic factors
Background: While clinical practice habits vary by patient, physician and clinic factors in primary care, limited research has examined whether differences exist in obesity medicine. Our objective was to compare practice habits by such factors among obesity medicine physicians certified by the Ameri...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Obesity Pillars |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667368125000014 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850251620288299008 |
|---|---|
| author | Selvi Rajagopal Edmond P. Wickham, III Tirissa J. Reid Dana R. Brittan Judith Korner Kimberly A. Gudzune |
| author_facet | Selvi Rajagopal Edmond P. Wickham, III Tirissa J. Reid Dana R. Brittan Judith Korner Kimberly A. Gudzune |
| author_sort | Selvi Rajagopal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: While clinical practice habits vary by patient, physician and clinic factors in primary care, limited research has examined whether differences exist in obesity medicine. Our objective was to compare practice habits by such factors among obesity medicine physicians certified by the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM). Methods: We conducted secondary analyses of cross-sectional data from the 2023 ABOM Practice Analysis Validation Survey. We included three obesity medicine practice habits – prescribing anti-obesity medications (AOMs), off-label prescribing of medications for weight reduction, and obesity medicine clinical practice hours (4–20 h/week versus >20 h/week). We included patient (patient population), physician (primary medical specialty, years of obesity medicine experience) and clinic factors (practice setting, geographic catchment, accepts insurance for obesity care). We conducted bivariate analyses using Χ2 tests. Results: Among 565 ABOM-certified physicians, 71.5 % had primary medical specialties within primary care and 9.2 % predominantly treated children/adolescents with obesity. Overall, 97.5 % prescribed AOMs and 85.1 % prescribed off-label medications for weight reduction. Fewer physicians who predominantly treated children/adolescents prescribed AOMs compared to physicians with no or limited treatment of children (88.5 % versus 98.4 % and 98.5 %, respectively; p < 0.001). Overall, 41.4 % reported practicing obesity medicine >20 h/week, which was more likely to occur as years of obesity medicine experience increased (i.e., 21.9 % among physicians with 1–2 years of experience versus 58.5 % with 10+ years; p < 0.001). No significant differences in practice habits occurred by primary medical specialty, practice setting, geographic catchment, or accepting insurance. Conclusion: Our findings may suggest that ABOM-certified physicians have consistent obesity medication prescribing practices regardless of physician or clinic factors, which may be particularly important to patients seeking pharmacologic treatment. Most ABOM-certified physicians who predominantly treat children/adolescents prescribe obesity medications. These current rates are relatively higher than prior findings among pediatric ABOM-certified physicians, which might help support pharmacologic access for pediatric patients. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d9ca2c2bd2a7497b88e876979aeee6c7 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2667-3681 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Obesity Pillars |
| spelling | doaj-art-d9ca2c2bd2a7497b88e876979aeee6c72025-08-20T01:57:51ZengElsevierObesity Pillars2667-36812025-03-011310015710.1016/j.obpill.2025.100157Comparing clinical practice habits among obesity medicine physicians by patient, physician and clinic factorsSelvi Rajagopal0Edmond P. Wickham, III1Tirissa J. Reid2Dana R. Brittan3Judith Korner4Kimberly A. Gudzune5Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USAVirginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USAColumbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USAAmerican Board of Obesity Medicine, Denver, CO, USA; American Board of Obesity Medicine Foundation, Denver, CO, USAColumbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USAAmerican Board of Obesity Medicine Foundation, Denver, CO, USA; Corresponding author. 2696 S. Colorado Blvd, Suite #340, Denver, CO, 80222, USA.Background: While clinical practice habits vary by patient, physician and clinic factors in primary care, limited research has examined whether differences exist in obesity medicine. Our objective was to compare practice habits by such factors among obesity medicine physicians certified by the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM). Methods: We conducted secondary analyses of cross-sectional data from the 2023 ABOM Practice Analysis Validation Survey. We included three obesity medicine practice habits – prescribing anti-obesity medications (AOMs), off-label prescribing of medications for weight reduction, and obesity medicine clinical practice hours (4–20 h/week versus >20 h/week). We included patient (patient population), physician (primary medical specialty, years of obesity medicine experience) and clinic factors (practice setting, geographic catchment, accepts insurance for obesity care). We conducted bivariate analyses using Χ2 tests. Results: Among 565 ABOM-certified physicians, 71.5 % had primary medical specialties within primary care and 9.2 % predominantly treated children/adolescents with obesity. Overall, 97.5 % prescribed AOMs and 85.1 % prescribed off-label medications for weight reduction. Fewer physicians who predominantly treated children/adolescents prescribed AOMs compared to physicians with no or limited treatment of children (88.5 % versus 98.4 % and 98.5 %, respectively; p < 0.001). Overall, 41.4 % reported practicing obesity medicine >20 h/week, which was more likely to occur as years of obesity medicine experience increased (i.e., 21.9 % among physicians with 1–2 years of experience versus 58.5 % with 10+ years; p < 0.001). No significant differences in practice habits occurred by primary medical specialty, practice setting, geographic catchment, or accepting insurance. Conclusion: Our findings may suggest that ABOM-certified physicians have consistent obesity medication prescribing practices regardless of physician or clinic factors, which may be particularly important to patients seeking pharmacologic treatment. Most ABOM-certified physicians who predominantly treat children/adolescents prescribe obesity medications. These current rates are relatively higher than prior findings among pediatric ABOM-certified physicians, which might help support pharmacologic access for pediatric patients.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667368125000014Obesity managementAnti-obesity agentsCertificationPhysicians’ practice patterns |
| spellingShingle | Selvi Rajagopal Edmond P. Wickham, III Tirissa J. Reid Dana R. Brittan Judith Korner Kimberly A. Gudzune Comparing clinical practice habits among obesity medicine physicians by patient, physician and clinic factors Obesity Pillars Obesity management Anti-obesity agents Certification Physicians’ practice patterns |
| title | Comparing clinical practice habits among obesity medicine physicians by patient, physician and clinic factors |
| title_full | Comparing clinical practice habits among obesity medicine physicians by patient, physician and clinic factors |
| title_fullStr | Comparing clinical practice habits among obesity medicine physicians by patient, physician and clinic factors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparing clinical practice habits among obesity medicine physicians by patient, physician and clinic factors |
| title_short | Comparing clinical practice habits among obesity medicine physicians by patient, physician and clinic factors |
| title_sort | comparing clinical practice habits among obesity medicine physicians by patient physician and clinic factors |
| topic | Obesity management Anti-obesity agents Certification Physicians’ practice patterns |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667368125000014 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT selvirajagopal comparingclinicalpracticehabitsamongobesitymedicinephysiciansbypatientphysicianandclinicfactors AT edmondpwickhamiii comparingclinicalpracticehabitsamongobesitymedicinephysiciansbypatientphysicianandclinicfactors AT tirissajreid comparingclinicalpracticehabitsamongobesitymedicinephysiciansbypatientphysicianandclinicfactors AT danarbrittan comparingclinicalpracticehabitsamongobesitymedicinephysiciansbypatientphysicianandclinicfactors AT judithkorner comparingclinicalpracticehabitsamongobesitymedicinephysiciansbypatientphysicianandclinicfactors AT kimberlyagudzune comparingclinicalpracticehabitsamongobesitymedicinephysiciansbypatientphysicianandclinicfactors |