RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Access to Primary Care in US Counties Is Associated with Lower Obesity Rates
JF The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Medicine
JO J Am Board Fam Med
FD American Board of Family Medicine
SP 182
OP 190
DO 10.3122/jabfm.2016.02.150356
VO 29
IS 2
A1 Anne H. Gaglioti
A1 Stephen Petterson
A1 Andrew Bazemore
A1 Robert Phillips
YR 2016
UL http://www.jabfm.org/content/29/2/182.abstract
AB Background: Obesity causes substantial morbidity and mortality in the United States. Evidence shows that primary care physician (PCP) supply correlates positively with improved health, but its association with obesity in the United States as not been adequately characterized. Our purpose was to characterize the association between PCP supply in US counties and adult obesity.Methods: We performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to examine the relationship between county-level PCP supply and individual obesity status. We controlled for individual variables, including sex, race, marital status, income, and insurance status, and county-level variables, including rurality and poverty.Results: Higher county-level PCP supply was associated with lower adult obesity after controlling for common confounders. Individuals living in counties with the most robust PCP supply were about 20% less likely to be obese (P ≤ .01) than those living in counties with the lowest PCP supply.Conclusions: While the observed association between the supply of PCPs and lower rates of obesity may not be causal, the association warrants further investigation. This may have important implications for restructuring the physician workforce in the context of the current PCP shortage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the patient-centered medical home.