BDI staff articles
diabetes/weight surveyNational Survey Results – January 2009:
Physicians and Patients: Type 2 Diabetes and Weight Survey
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 24 million people in the United States, nearly eight percent of the population, have diabetes. Estimates show that another 57 million people have pre-diabetes, a condition that puts people at increased risk for diabetes. In addition, about two-thirds of U.S. adults – 133.6 million – are overweight. Of these, 63.3 million are obese.
The Behavioral Diabetes Institute and Amylin Pharmaceuticals collaborated on the design of a national survey, which was sponsored by Amylin Pharmaceuticals and conducted by Yankelovich, part of The Futures Company. The phone survey contacted 200 physicians treating patients with type 2 diabetes each month, and 703 adults with type 2 diabetes.
Physicians agree that moderate weight loss will help patients manage their type 2 diabetes, but the survey finds that the communication gap between patients and physicians, along with other barriers, is making weight loss difficult.
Eight in 10 physicians surveyed said that they discuss weight issues with their patients almost every visit, yet only four in 10 patients report having these discussions with such frequency. In particular, roughly half of overweight patients and a third of obese patients say their physician seldom or never discusses their weight with them.
Press Release: click here to read the Survey Press Release (PDF)
Fact Sheet: click here to read the detailed Survey Fact Sheet (PDF)
Survey Results: click here to view the Survey Results Presentation Slides (PDF)
