Challenges for obesity management in a unified health system : the view of health professionals.
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Date
2020
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Abstract
Background: Obesity is an increasingly prevalent chronic condition. Its multiple causes and the
complexity of its treatment pose challenges for health professionals.
Objective: To explore and describe the challenges for obesity management in the Brazilian Unified
Health System according to health professionals.
Methods: An exploratory quantitative web-based study, carried out in 2018 with health
professionals, developed from the first stage of a national project that aims to examine the
management of obesity in Brazil. The questionnaire was self-applied. Invitations to participate in
the research were sent by the Ministry of Health, Health Department of Minas Gerais and members
of the research group. We collected data on sex, age, professional category, region and level of
care. The challenges were investigated using a Likert scale and categorized into structure and work
process.
Results: We evaluated 1323 professionals, of which about 45% were dietitians, 90.2% were women,
and 83.1% self-reported working in primary health care. The main barriers cited included a high
demand for curative and individual assistance, the presence of comorbidities, and the absence or
insufficient access to instructional materials, professional qualification and lack of support.
Conclusion: Obesity management is a critical challenge for all professionals. Barriers were related
to the work process and structural aspects and reinforce the need to empower health teams. We
propose that permanent education activities should be established, as well as the development
of instructional materials that are applicable to routine work. Finally, the results may be used to
develop policies and strategies to improve obesity management.
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Keywords
Multidisciplinary care, Public health, Primary health care, Quality of health care
Citation
LOPES, M. S. et al. Challenges for obesity management in a unified health system: the view of health professionals. Family Practice, v. 117, p. 4-10, out. 2020. Disponível em: <https://academic.oup.com/fampra/article/38/1/4/5944228?login=true>. Acesso em: 11 out. 2022.