• Qays Shahed, Karolina Baranowska, Marije C Galavazi, Yang Cao, and Michiel A van Nieuwenhoven.
• Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
• Fam Pract. 2022 Jul 19; 39 (4): 694-700.

BackgroundObesity is associated with stigma and discrimination. Health care providers should approach these patients professionally and without stigma, since treatment of obesity requires a relationship with mutual understanding between the doctor and patient.ObjectiveTo explore how patients and general practitioners (GPs) perceive obesity, using Q-methodology, which allows quantitative analysis of qualitative data.MethodsA Q-methodology study, comprising 24 patients with obesity and 24 GPs. We created 48 statements with viewpoints on obesity. All participants sorted these statements in a forced grid with a quasi-normal distribution ranking from -5 (most disagree) to +5 (most agree). Subsequently, factor analysis was performed. Six patients were interviewed to explain their viewpoints.ResultsAnalysis yielded 3 dominant groups (factors) of patients: (i) They acknowledge the importance of healthy lifestyle and feel mistreated by health care. (ii) They have a decreased quality of life, but do not blame health care, and (iii) They don't need treatment and don't have an impaired quality of life. For the GPs, the 3 dominant factors were: (i) They have understanding for the patients and feel that health care is insufficient, (ii) They believe that obesity may be hereditary but mainly is a lifestyle problem, and (iii) They believe obesity can be treated but is very difficult.ConclusionsViewpoints on obesity were different, both within and between the groups. Some GPs consider obesity mainly as a lifestyle problem, rather than a chronic disease. If patients and doctors can find mutual viewpoints on obesity, both patient satisfaction and a treatment strategy will be more effective.© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press.

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