Assessing undergraduate osteopaths in the identification of patients' excess body weight

IntroductionObesity affects 25% of the UK population and patients at risk of the sequelae of excess weight should be recognised by primary healthcare practitioners. This study investigated the accuracy of final year, undergraduate osteopaths' subjective assessment skills in identifying overweight and obese patients as compared with body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BFP).MethodsA sample of patients attending an osteopathic teaching clinic was selected (n = 44, 41% male) and measurements made of their height, weight, BFP, BMI and waist circumference. Twenty-seven undergraduate student osteopaths assessed patient body size according to World Health Organisation categories; they also indicated management plans for obese patients; information was recorded on paper questionnaires during treatment.ResultsEleven patients (25%) were categorised as obese and one as morbidly obese according to their BMI; according to their BFP 11 (25%) were obese and a further 12 (26%) were morbidly obese. Students categorised the majority of patients (93%) as either normal weight (19; 43%) or overweight (22; 50%). Students underestimated body size in comparison with BMI and BFP for 45% and 80% respectively. Despite this disparity, correlation was detected (p < 0.05; Kendall's Tau-c), indicating that students' observations followed a similar pattern to clinical measurements.ConclusionDisparity was detected between students' evaluation of patient body size compared with BMI and BFP. This suggests that osteopathy students have a need for increased training and awareness to identify patients with excessive body fat. The provision of timely management plans could then be incorporated into practise to offset the consequences of obesity.