Barriers to Weight Loss Counseling

Obesity is becoming a major problem affecting health and health care in the United States. While counseling patients on weight loss is effective, it is infrequently done. Lack of time, training, confidence, and reimbursement are some of the identified barriers to weight loss counseling. More research is needed, looking at these and other barriers, specifically, as they relate to nurse practitioners (NPs). This article looks at barriers to obesity counseling and how NPs can improve weight loss counseling.