Prepare for a Conversation About Body Weight

Laying the Groundwork for Meaningful Weight Conversations

The goal of the kickstart conversation is simply that—to begin a productive discussion of body size. The initial conversations about weight may be the hardest, as it is necessary to build trust and rapport, as well as to overcome past negative experiences that people may have had discussing their weight with health care providers. Providers can prepare by educating themselves about issues related to weight bias and stigma using some of the resources in the Obesity Management in Practice section.

Pre-Visit Information Gathering

Online health portals and health history questionnaires can be used to gather information about a patient's weight.

The online portal can potentially provide information about the patient’s weight, and information collected can be used to determine whether the patient is a candidate for weight management interventions.

Questionnaires and portals can also be used to ask patients if they would be willing to discuss their weight with their provider during the appointment. During visits, providers can review this information and determine whether to initiate a conversation about weight.

Preparing to Personalize Obesity Care

Health histories and laboratory results (if available) can also be reviewed for conditions associated with overweight and obesity (e.g., type 2 diabetes). More information about how to assess this information will be discussed in the Assess section. Using this information, primary care providers can be ready to customize care based on patients’ willingness to address concerns about body size. Patients may require multiple short discussions across several office visits before they are ready and motivated to address weight issues.

Kickstart | Approaches to Implement