QuickStats: Percentage* of Adults with a Visit to a Health Professional in the Past 12 Months Who Received Dietary Advice,† by Obesity Status§ and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey,¶ United States, 2014

Weekly / April 22, 2016 / 65(15);405

The figure above is a bar chart showing that in 2014, among adults with a doctor visit in the past 12 months, approximately half (49.7%) of adults with obesity had a doctor or other health professional talk to them about their diet. Middle-aged (i.e., aged 45–64 years) adults with obesity (54.6%) were more likely than younger (47.1%) or older (47.9%) adults with obesity to have received dietary advice from a health professional. This pattern by age was also found for adults who were not obese; however, adults who were not obese were approximately half as likely as adults with obesity in the same age groups to have received dietary advice from a health professional.

Top

* With 95% confidence intervals indicated with error bars.

† Based on the question, “During the last 12 months, has a doctor or other health professional talked to you about your diet?”

§ Obesity status was based on respondent-reported height and weight and calculated as body mass index (BMI) using the following formula: BMI = weight/height2 (kg/m2). An adult who was obese had a BMI ≥30; an adult who was not obese had a BMI <30.

¶ Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the noninstitutionalized U.S. civilian population and were derived from the National Health Interview Survey Sample Adult component.

Top

In 2014, among adults with a doctor visit in the past 12 months, approximately half (49.7%) of adults with obesity had a doctor or other health professional talk to them about their diet. Middle-aged (i.e., aged 45–64 years) adults with obesity (54.6%) were more likely than younger (47.1%) or older (47.9%) adults with obesity to have received dietary advice from a health professional. This pattern by age was also found for adults who were not obese; however, adults who were not obese were approximately half as likely as adults with obesity in the same age groups to have received dietary advice from a health professional.
Source: National Health Interview Survey, 2014 data. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.

Reported by: Barbara Bloom, MPA, bbloom@cdc.gov, 301-458-4105; Robin A. Cohen, PhD.

Top

Suggested citation for this article: QuickStats: Percentage of Adults with a Visit to a Health Professional in the Past 12 Months Who Received Dietary Advice, by Obesity Status and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:405. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6515a8 .