• Faiza Nasser AlOtaibi, Majeedah AlOtaibi, Shiakhah AlAnazi, Hanan Al-Gethami, Deemah AlAteeq, Rowaydah Mishiddi, and Amna Rehana Siddiqui.
• Faiza Nasser AlOtaibi, Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Pak J Med Sci. 2017 Jan 1; 33 (1): 100105100-105.

Background & ObjectivesPrimary health care (PHC) physicians are foremost to confront childhood and adolescent obesity. Our objective was to evaluate PHC Physicians perspectives for managing overweight/obesity in children and adolescents.MethodsPHC services from eight public hospitals in Riyadh participated. A self-administered tool maintaining anonymity evaluated facilitators and barriers for managing overweight/obese children and adolescent patients. Physicians who 'always' recommended weight management for an overweight / obese patient during past year, by involving patient, parents, and others were classified as having positive and appropriate practice.ResultsOf the 58 respondents, 51.7% had appropriate practices. Lack of patient motivation (82.2%), and parental involvement (70.7%) were the major barriers. Physicians with appropriate practices differed in perspectives from those with less appropriate practices by attending continued education forums (p<0.026), referring patients to sub-specialty (p< 0.041), clinical knowledge (p<0.039), convinced on interventions (p<0.017), low concern for precipitating eating disorders (p<0.019), comfortable in examining obese patients (p<0.020), and considered patient's readiness for weight change (p< 0.007).ConclusionEfforts are needed to equip PHC physicians in managing overweight and obesity in Saudi children and adolescents.

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