Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity (Mar 2022)

The Impact of Health Policy on Patients’ Awareness of the Risks Associated with Obesity: An International Multicenter Study in Poland and Germany

  • Paczkowska A,
  • Hoffmann K,
  • Raakow J,
  • Pross M,
  • Berghaus R,
  • Michalak M,
  • Bryl W,
  • Marzec K,
  • Kopciuch D,
  • Zaprutko T,
  • Ratajczak P,
  • Nowakowska E,
  • Kus K

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 15
pp. 723 – 732

Abstract

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Anna Paczkowska,1 Karolina Hoffmann,2 Jonas Raakow,3 Matthias Pross,4 Rafael Berghaus,4 Michał Michalak,5 Wiesław Bryl,2 Kinga Marzec,1 Dorota Kopciuch,1 Tomasz Zaprutko,1 Piotr Ratajczak,1 Elżbieta Nowakowska,6 Krzysztof Kus1 1Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Social Pharmacy, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland; 2Department of Internal Diseases, Metabolic Disorders and Arterial Hypertension, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland; 3Department of Surgery, Campus Charité Mitte and Campus Virchow Klinikum, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, 10117, Germany; 4Department of Surgery, DRK Kliniken Berlin, Köpenick, Berlin, 12559, Germany; 5Department of Computer Science and Statistics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland; 6Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology Institute of Health Sciences, Collegium Medicum, University of Zielona Gora, Zielona Góra, PolandCorrespondence: Anna Paczkowska, Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Social Pharmacy, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 7 Street, Poznan, 60-806, Poland, Tel +48 507 975 635, Fax +48 618546894, Email [email protected]: Recent studies indicate that the treatment of obesity is unsuccessful. The cause of this situation is that patients are not sufficiently educated about therapeutic methods and the health consequences of not treating obesity. Moreover, obesity prevention strategies differ significantly between EU countries.Objective: The primary aim of this study was to examine and compare the level of obesity-related knowledge and illness perception among obese patients from Poland and Germany.Methods: A prospective cross-sectional international multicentre study was conducted. The study included 564 subjects above 18 years old (210 German patients and 354 Polish patients) with obesity. A validated custom-made questionnaire was used to evaluate obesity-related knowledge. Patient illness perception was evaluated using Polish and German language versions of the standardized Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ).Results: Obese patients from Germany had significantly higher level of obesity-related knowledge than patients from Poland (22.01 ± 4.68 vs 19.17 ± 6.59, p< 0.0001). Obesity-related knowledge was associated with the patient’s education, patient participation in therapeutic educational programs, patient’s perception of the illness, age and the number of healthcare professionals involved in the patient’s treatment process.Conclusion: The level of obesity-related knowledge among both Polish and German patients is unsatisfactory. This study suggests that health education is required to facilitate informed choices and support the use of cognitive approaches educating patients on the health consequences of obesity.Keywords: obesity, patient education, health education, health behaviour, illness perception

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