The deficits in patient-provider relationships in overweight/obese women indicate that many of these women are not receiving adequate behavioral counseling.   Focusing on improving rapport-building communication will likely help to remedy this, as well as to improve patients' involvement in their prenatal care.  In addition, providers' implicit bias against those with overweight/obesity needs to be addressed in order to improve patient-provider relationships; the fact that providers rate their patients as less likable is proof that this implicit bias is affecting the relationship.

Implications for improving patient-provider relationships with overweight/obese pregnant women

When working with overweight pregnant women, providers were less likely to use concern or approval statements, asked fewer lifestyle questions, and were less likely to ask for clarification than when they worked with clients of a normal weight.

Grand Valley State University

While pregnancy is a unique time that provides an opportunity for strengthening the patient-provider relationship due to routine prenatal care, many women are disadvantaged in this regard due to their overweight or obese status.  There is evidence to suggest that many women with overweight or obesity have poorer quality patient-provider relationships. 

Patient-provider relationships in overweight or obese pregnant women

Washington Cole, K. O., Gudzune, K. A., Bleich, S. N., Cheskin, L. J., Bennett, W. L., Cooper, L. A., & Roter, D. L. (2017). Providing prenatal care to pregnant women with overweight or obesity: Differences in provider communication and ratings of the patient-provider relationship by patient body weight. Patient Education and Counseling, 100(6), 1103-1110. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2016.12.030

Providing prenatal care to pregnant women with overweight or obesity: Differences in provider communication and ratings of the patient-provider relationship by patient body weight

Factors affecting patient-provider relationships with overweight pregnant women

When working with obese pregnant women, providers gave less lifestyle information, gave fewer self-disclosure statements, were less likely to believe that patients gave an accurate medical history, and were less likely to like their patients compared to patients with normal weight.

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