Addressing the weight of the issue: gaps in obesity education among US osteopathic medical students

CONTEXT: Obesity is a significant public health concern, with the United States experiencing some of the highest obesity rates worldwide. Despite the widespread prevalence and negative impacts on patient health, obesity education in medical school curricula remains insufficient. This training deficit contributes to a lack of preparedness among medical students in the management of obesity, leading to healthcare provider bias and inadequate patient care. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to identify potential gaps in obesity education within US osteopathic medical schools by assessing current osteopathic medical students' knowledge, confidence, and perceptions of medical school obesity education. METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was distributed to osteopathic medical students across all 42 US osteopathic medical schools through the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) weekly emails, SOMA internal chapter emails, and SOMA social media accounts from October 2024 to December 2024. The inclusion criteria were that participants had to be currently enrolled first-, second-, third-, and fourth-year osteopathic medical students and provide informed consent. The responses were summarized utilizing descriptive analysis. Each survey question was analyzed independently, considering the varying number of responses received per question. RESULTS: A total of 208 students participated in the survey. Out of the 208 respondents, most students felt somewhat prepared (38.5 %) or unprepared/very unprepared (32.7 %) to manage obesity and provide nutrition education in the clinical setting. Due to the number of participants, the responses are considered in aggregate and not grouped by cohort year. In addition, there was nearly an even split among students regarding comfort in discussing obesity and weight management with patients, with 30.6 % stating that they are uncomfortable or very uncomfortable, 37.4 % reporting being somewhat comfortable, and 32.0 % feeling comfortable or very comfortable. Only 14.1 % of students reported having standardized patient encounters regarding obesity counseling, with most of these encounters (55.2 %) lasting less than 30 min. Regarding comfort discussing weight bias and stigma, 59.8 % of the students reported feeling somewhat comfortable, comfortable, or very comfortable discussing weight bias and stigma, while 40.2 % were slightly uncomfortable or not comfortable addressing the topic with patients. Given the limited sample size and response rate, these findings are exploratory and limited by a low response rate and potential response bias. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest potential gaps in obesity education among the responding osteopathic medical students. While limited by sample size and possible response bias, the results highlight opportunities for strengthening obesity-related curricula, particularly in experiential learning and weight bias training.