Primary care physician's knowledge of ethnicity-specific guidelines for obesity diagnosis and readiness for obesity intervention among South Asian Indians

Many primary care physicians lack sufficient knowledge on current guidelines for overweight/obesity diagnosis among minority groups. We assessed physician knowledge and awareness on modified guidelines for identifying obesity among South Asian Indians (SAIs). Cross sectional survey of 183 physicians practicing in Houston, who reported on their knowledge on guidelines for obesity among SAIs, frequency of measurement of surrogate markers, self-reported competency in management of obesity, and readiness to seek training on obesity diagnosis among SAIs. 65% of physicians agree obesity is a growing problem among SAIs with only 9% of physicians reporting measuring waist circumference. Only 21% of physicians were aware of the recommended WHO modified BMI criteria and 41% the IDF criteria for waist circumference. SAI physicians had significantly higher knowledge compared to other physicians. 78% were ready to seek training on the modified guidelines across ethnicity and training. There is a low level of knowledge on ethnicity-specific guidelines for obesity diagnosis among physicians. There is however a readiness to learn, indicating the need for a physician awareness-training on current obesity guidelines, for various ethnic populations.