Mean Scores on Attitudes and Factor Aanalysis (n = 455)
| Questions | Mean score (SD) (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) | Factor 1* “Self-efficacy” | Factor 2† “Reimbursement” | Factor 3‡ “Resources” | Factor 4§ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overweight counseling is not effective. | 2.40 (0.949) | 0.732 | |||
| There is little family physicians can do to treat/manage overweight. | 2.28 (0.993) | 0.720 | |||
| How effective is your counseling about overweight management? | 2.38 (0.690)‖ | −0.713 | |||
| How effective is your counseling about prevention of obesity? | 2.35 (0.662)‖ | −0.687 | |||
| There is no evidence physicians can prevent overweight. | 2.43 (1.039) | 0.661 | |||
| Family physicians can help prevent childhood overweight. | 3.94 (0.970) | −0.660 | |||
| I don't think screening will make a difference. | 2.10 (1.011) | 0.608 | |||
| There are effective means of treating overweight. | 3.17 (0.999) | −0.581 | |||
| There are good treatment options for overweight. | 2.76 (1.096) | −0.546 | |||
| My patients do not find these services helpful. | 2.59 (0.975) | 0.540 | |||
| I don't find dietitian/weight-management services helpful. | 2.28 (0.993) | 0.539 | |||
| How comfortable do you feel discussing overweight with overweight patients and their parents? | 3.28 (0.692) | −0.458 | 0.421 | ||
| I am not interested in addressing overweight prevention/management. | 1.62 (0.763) | 0.448 | |||
| Family physicians should address childhood overweight during well-child visits. | 4.55 (0.707) | −0.415 | |||
| How well prepared do you feel you are to counsel patients and their parents about overweight? | 3.06 (0.674) | −0.454 | 0.513 | ||
| The AAFP recommendations on overweight screening are easy to follow. | 3.30 (0.686) | −0.400 | |||
| Weight management programs are not covered by insurance. | 3.95 (0.939) | 0.575 | −0.420 | ||
| Dietitian services are not covered by insurance. | 3.60 (1.11) | 0.687 | |||
| Many of my patients are not able to pay for uncovered services. | 4.28 (0.942) | 0.475 | |||
| There is a lack of tools to assist with BMI calculations. | 1.87 (0.985) | 0.537 | |||
| It is more important to reduce fast food/soft drink availability in the community and at home than to counsel about overweight. | 3.16 (1.197) | 0.426 | |||
| I do not want to offend families by talking about weight. | 2.04 (1.019) | 0.432 | |||
| Variance explained (%) | 17.3 | 5.74 | 5.07 | 5.071 |
* Eigenvalue of 7.439.
† Eigenvalue of 2.468.
‡ Eigenvalue of 2.181.
§ Eigenvalue of 1.927.
‖ 4-point scale.
AAFP, American Academy of Family Physicians; BMI, body mass index.