145 million adult Americans are overweight or obese, and while the number of overweight and obese Americans has increased, the amount of weight counseling offered by primary care physicians has decreased, especially for patients with high blood pressure and diabetes. Despite the current obesity epidemic, overweight patients seen in 2007-2008 had a 46% lower chance of receiving weight counseling than other patients, and counseling occurred in only 6.2% of doctor office visits. At the same time, the percentage of adults who were overweight or obese increased from 52% in 1995 to 63% in 2008.
Medical Care, January 2013