The Relationship Between Body Weight and Primary Healthcare Visits

In the United States (U.S.), currently more than 40% of adults have obesity. This high prevalence presents great concern to demographers because of the potential consequences obesity holds for population health trajectories in morbidity and mortality and individuals’ well-being. Primary care provide...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Population research and policy review 2023-08, Vol.42 (4), p.52, Article 52
Main Authors: Newmyer, Lauren, Frisco, Michelle L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Body weight
Chronic illnesses
Demographers
Demography
Gynecologists
Gynecology
Health care
Health care industry
Health services
Medical personnel
Men
Morbidity
Obesity
Original Research
Physicians
Population Economics
Primary care
Social Sciences
Sociology
Visits
Well being
Women
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Summary:In the United States (U.S.), currently more than 40% of adults have obesity. This high prevalence presents great concern to demographers because of the potential consequences obesity holds for population health trajectories in morbidity and mortality and individuals’ well-being. Primary care providers are critical for managing chronic health conditions, including obesity. This makes it vital to understand whether and how weight shapes primary care use in the U.S. We make this contribution by investigating how obesity is related to annual visits with two of the most common primary healthcare providers used by U.S. men and women—general physicians and gynecologists. Analysis of data from National Health Interview Survey (2010–2018) participants suggests that obesity and overweight are positively associated with annual physician visits among both men and women, with men with class II and III obese having significantly higher odds of annual physician visits than women. In addition, although women with obesity have greater odds of general physician visits than women with normal weight, the former group has lower odds of gynecological visits. This study offers important insights into how obesity positively shapes annual physician visits but negatively shapes gynecological care of women—especially those with class III obesity.
ISSN:0167-5923
1573-7829
DOI:10.1007/s11113-023-09800-3