engleski

Attitudes towards nutrition care among general practitioners in Croatia

Poor nutrition behaviour is a risk factor for chronic diseases. Patients with a chronic disease expect to receive nutrition care from general practitioners (GPs). Attitudes towards nutrition care strongly influence the implementation of nutrition care in GPs offices. The aim of this study was to determine the attitudes of Croatian GPs towards nutrition and nutrition care. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 17.0% of randomly selected GPs in Croatia, from May to July of 2013, via a specially designed anonymous questionnaire. There was no statistically significant difference in the median number of positive attitudes between males and females (p=0.336) ; between GPs with 14 or less and GPs with 15 or more years of experience (p=0.380) ; between younger GPs (45 years old or less) and older GPs (46 years old or more) (p=0.163), and between specialists of family medicine and GPs without specialization (p=0.577). The study revealed that the GPs with additional education in nutrition and the GPs who had been suffering from a chronic disease had more positive attitudes towards nutrition and nutrition care (p<0.001 and p=0.022, respectively). In order to provide nutrition care in GPs offices in Croatia, strategies for changing GPs attitudes towards nutrition and nutrition care are needed.

nutrition ; attitudes ; general practitioners ; primary health care ; Croatia

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