The Impactful Weight of Treating Beyond the Scale: A Comprehensive Course to Improve Obesity Care Among Medical Students.

Abstract

Obesity is a complex, highly prevalent chronic disease that remains underprioritized in medical education, contributing to gaps in knowledge, confidence, and skills among future physicians. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on medical students' satisfaction, knowledge, and confidence related to obesity care, as well as their awareness of weight bias and stigma. Medical students in the Comprehensive Urban Underserved and Rural Experience program took a five-session, in-person course focused on the multifaceted nature of obesity, patient-centered care, and practical application of learned skills. Student satisfaction, knowledge, confidence, and comfort were assessed using pre- and postcourse surveys. Students reported high satisfaction with the course sessions (scores≥4.0). Significant improvements were observed in obesity-related knowledge, comfort, confidence, and awareness domains (P<0.05) following the course. These findings highlight the potential of comprehensive obesity education to improve medical students' knowledge, confidence, and awareness related to obesity care, including weight bias and patient-centered communication.