NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nearly half of female physicians say they counsel their patients about weight or nutrition at least once a year, results of a survey reveal.

Doctors with the best personal nutrition habits, vegetarians and those with a history of weight problems were more likely to counsel their patients. Primary care doctors, obstetricians-gynecologists and pediatricians were also more likely to provide at least some nutrition counseling, according to the survey of more than 3,500 US female physicians who graduated from medical school between 1950 and 1989.

With more than half of all US adults overweight or obese, female physicians may be a good source of counseling on diet and nutrition, the findings indicate. Doctors who have made efforts to improve their own eating habits may be more likely to provide such counseling, the researchers note in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

``Physicians who have intentionally altered their diets, and thus may have a higher personal awareness of diet, are more likely to counsel patients about nutrition and weight,'' according to Dr. Erica Frank and colleagues from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

In other findings, about one third of doctors said they provide their patients with nutrition counseling at every visit and nearly half said discussing weight or nutrition with patients was very important. About one fifth of doctors surveyed had received advanced training in weight or nutrition-related counseling.

The group of doctors surveyed reported healthy eating habits overall, with an average daily fruit and vegetable consumption of nearly four servings. The average number of drinks consumed by the nearly three quarters of physicians who drank alcohol was just over one drink weekly.

Nearly 60% of those surveyed said they were trying to lose weight. Almost all said they were trying to improve their exercise habits, while 82% said they were trying to change their diet.

Frank and co-authors suggest that future studies examine the methods doctors use to counsel about diet and evaluate the circumstances under which counseling occurs. They recommend that doctors provide general advice at routine office visits, rather than waiting until patients have a disease that could have been influenced by better nutrition.

``Patients look on physicians as good and credible sources of health information, and they expect dietary advice and guidance that will help them avoid risk factors and prevent disease,'' they write. ``Office visits may be good opportunities for healthcare providers to help patients choose balanced, nutritious diets.''

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002;75:326-332.

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