Medical students' readiness to provide lifestyle counseling for overweight patients.

In order to assess medical students' readiness to engage in lifestyle counseling regarding nutrition, physical activity, and other health behaviors, the authors examined the knowledge, attitudes, and health behaviors of medical students. The authors analyzed questionnaire responses of 290 medical students in their first, second, or third year. Students were generally knowledgeable about cardiovascular disease risk factors, however they were less knowledgeable about body mass index (BMI) and specific nutrition and physical activity recommendations.