Recent study has revealed that physicians seem to have less respect for overweight and obese patients. This attitude could be having negative effect on the health of the patients.

Research team led by Dr. Mary Margaret Huizinga, an assistant professor of general internal medicine at Hopkins studied connection between physician respect and patient obesity.

Research team studied data collected from 238 patients and 40 physicians from 14 urban community medical centers in Baltimore, U.S. Physicians were asked to write about their attitudes towards their obese patients. The patients were asked to complete a questionnaire about their visit to physician.

Analysis of responses of physicians and patients indicated that physicians were less respectful towards patients with a higher BMI. Further data analysis revealed that for every 10-unit increase in patients’ BMI there was added 14 percent increase of low patient respect on the part of their physicians.

Dr. Mary Margaret Huizinga said, “I believe that patients have the right to a respectful relationship with their provider.”