The Impact of Health Policy on Patients’ Awareness of the Risks Associated with Obesity: An International Multicenter Study in Poland and Germany

BACKGROUND: Recent studies indicate that the treatment of obesity is unsuccessful. The cause of this situation is that patients are not sufficiently educated about therapeutic methods and the health consequences of not treating obesity. Moreover, obesity prevention strategies differ significantly between EU countries. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study was to examine and compare the level of obesity-related knowledge and illness perception among obese patients from Poland and Germany. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional international multicentre study was conducted. The study included 564 subjects above 18 years old (210 German patients and 354 Polish patients) with obesity. A validated custom-made questionnaire was used to evaluate obesity-related knowledge. Patient illness perception was evaluated using Polish and German language versions of the standardized Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ). RESULTS: Obese patients from Germany had significantly higher level of obesity-related knowledge than patients from Poland (22.01 ± 4.68 vs 19.17 ± 6.59, p<0.0001). Obesity-related knowledge was associated with the patient’s education, patient participation in therapeutic educational programs, patient’s perception of the illness, age and the number of healthcare professionals involved in the patient’s treatment process. CONCLUSION: The level of obesity-related knowledge among both Polish and German patients is unsatisfactory. This study suggests that health education is required to facilitate informed choices and support the use of cognitive approaches educating patients on the health consequences of obesity.