Discussion of lifestyle-related issues in family practice during visits with general medical examination as the main reason for encounter: an exploratory study of content and determinants.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the frequency and content of discussions on lifestyle issues during an annual examination and to identify characteristics of patients, physicians, and visits associated with lifestyle discussions. Audio-recordings of the visits of 35 family physicians with 148 of their patients were analyzed. Bivariate descriptive and multivariate analyses were used. On average, the visits contained discussions of 3.6 different issues for a total time of 2.9 min. Of the 11 topics of interest, weight, diet and nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco use were the most frequently discussed. Consultation with a female physician and perception by the physician of a poorer patient mental health status were associated with the number of themes discussed and the duration of exchanges. Results suggest that although, discussions on lifestyle issues are frequently observed during these visits, they remain limited in scope. Physicians appear to concentrate their energy on targeted patients, and female doctors are more active in this domain.