Dietary guidance from GPs - what do patients report?

Background: Diet can have a major impact on health. In this study, we surveyed the extent to which the subject of diet was raised by patients in general practice and which patients desired such discussions.

Material And Method: We conducted a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study of patients ≥ 18 years of age at GP practices in Western Norway in 2022. The questionnaire consisted of nine questions about dietary knowledge, the desire to receive dietary guidance and lose weight, and medication use. Logistic regression was used to identify groups more likely to report a desire to receive guidance on how diet affects health.

Results: A total of 2105 of the 2531 (83 %) invited patients ≥ 18 years of age completed the questionnaire, and 2075 of these were included in the analysis. One in three had raised the subject of diet with their GP. A total of 96 % reported having the knowledge they needed about diet, 56 % wanted advice or guidance on how diet affects health, 62 % wanted to lose weight and 40 % reported being confused by diet/dietary advice. Younger patients, men, patients with lower levels of education, patients who wanted to lose weight and patients taking medication for chronic conditions more frequently wanted advice/guidance on how diet affects health.

Interpretation: Over half of the patients in the GP practices wanted advice/guidance on how diet affects health. Knowing who is more likely to want guidance can be useful for prioritising which consultations are appropriate for providing guidance on diet and health impacts.