A scoping review of patient-provider communication about weight and weight management among adults with higher body weight.

OBJECTIVES

This scoping review describes the characteristics of studies that were designed to address two research questions: 1) What is the nature of patient-provider communication about weight or weight management among adults, including antecedents and consequences of this communication?; and 2) What are the communication strategies or intervention approaches to improve patient-provider communication about weight or key weight-related behaviors?

METHODS

Following the PRISMA-ScR, we searched five databases for peer-reviewed empirical studies published in English between January 1, 1970 (marking the emergence of obesity research in response to rising obesity rates), and June 25, 2024. A total of 101 studies met the inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

The number of studies that examine the nature of communication (first research question) or strategies to improve it (second research question) has significantly increased since 2013-the year in which the American Medical Association declared obesity a chronic disease. Despite its growth, the overwhelming majority of studies (98.0%) were conducted in Western countries. Additionally, most studies (90.1%) focused on describing the nature of communication, while only 10 studies addressed interventions. Notably, all intervention studies were still in early research phases. Finally, while nearly all studies (98.9%) assessed verbal behaviors, only 15 (16.5%) and 16 (17.6%) studies examined paraverbal and nonverbal behaviors, respectively, reflecting a predominant reliance on qualitative methods.

CONCLUSIONS

These gaps identified in this scoping review underscore the need for more diverse, methodologically rigorous, and culturally inclusive research that reflects the full complexity of patient-provider communication to support the development of evidence-informed interventions for improving patient-provider communication about weight and weight management.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Findings from this scoping review highlight several important directions for future research to advance the literature on patient-provider communication about weight and weight management. These include using mixed methods designs, assessing all behavioral communication channels, and developing and testing interventions.