Perception of weight and threat to health.

OBJECTIVES: To examine African American women's perception of their risk for obesity-related comorbid illnesses compared to their weight category. METHODS: Participants were recruited from urban health centers in Atlanta, Georgia. Anthropometric measurements and self-reported demographics, medical conditions, and health beliefs about obesity and its related comorbid diseases were recorded. RESULTS: More than 80% of the women (N=323) were either overweight or obese. Among overweight women, 44% reported being a normal weight. Seventy-two percent of the obese women reported being overweight, and 13.6% reported that they were obese. All women reported that each disease was "very serious;" however, overweight women reported having the same risk for each disease as normal weight women. Obese women reported having a higher risk of each disease (p < .05 for all diseases). CONCLUSION: Overweight and obese women underestimate their weight categories. Overweight, but not obese, women reported the same perceived susceptibility for obesity-related comorbid diseases as normal-weight women. An increase in the perceived threat to health may motivate women to increase prevention efforts in the early stage of overweight to prevent or delay morbidity or mortality.

Do African American mothers accurately estimate their daughters' weight category?

OBJECTIVES: We attempted to determine if mothers of overweight daughters accurately perceived the daughters' weight category and whether physician diagnosis of overweight was associated with accurate maternal perception of a daughter's weight. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study that used the Morehouse School of Medicine Obesity Health Belief Survey. Descriptive statistics were used with categorical variables; chi2 was used to identify associations between dichotomous and categorical data. SETTING: Participants were enrolled in the study at the West End Medical Centers Inc., a federally qualified health center in Atlanta, Georgia. RESULTS: Among overweight girls, 19% of mothers underestimated the girls' weight category, and 60% of the mothers underestimated the magnitude of their daughters' weight category (P < .001). Among the mothers of girls at risk for overweight, there was a statistically significant association between being told their daughter was overweight by a physician and an accurate perception of the daughter's weight category by the mother CONCLUSION: Despite this national epidemic, not all of mothers of overweight girls identify them as overweight. Physicians may play an important role in helping mothers recognize overweight in their daughter. Ultimately, accurately perceiving their daughters' weight category may influence maternal readiness to change to reduce overweight and reduce the health burden of overweight.

Sexual history-taking among primary care physicians.

BACKGROUND: Because many people seek sexual healthcare in settings where they seek primary healthcare, the extent to which primary care physicians take sexual histories is important. We surveyed Atlanta-area primary care physicians to estimate the extent to which they take sexual histories as well as the components of those histories and the circumstances under which they are taken. METHODS: Four-hundred-sixteen physicians in four specialties (obstetrics/gynecology, internal medicine, general/family practice, pediatrics) responded to a mail survey conducted during 2003-2004. Respondents answered whether they asked about sexual activity at all, including specific components of a comprehensive sexual history such as sexual as sexual orientation, numbers of partners and types of sexual activity, during routine exams, initial exams, complaint-based visits or never. Respondents also reported their opinions on whether they felt trained and comfortable taking sexual histories. RESULTS: Respondents (51% male, 58% white) saw an average of 94 patients per week. A majority (56%) felt adequately trained, while 79% felt comfortable taking sexual histories. Almost three in five (58%) asked about sexual activity at a routine visit, but much smaller proportions (12-34%) asked about the components of a sexual history. However, 76% of physicians reported asking about sexual history (61-75% for various components) if they felt it would be relevant to the chief complaint. CONCLUSIONS: Most physicians report feeling comfortable taking sexual histories and will do so if the patient's apparent complaint is related to sexual health. But sexual histories as part of routine and preventive healthcare are less common, and many physicians miss essential components of a comprehensive sexual history. Structural changes and suggestions for training to enhance sexual history-taking are discussed.