• Beliveau PJH
• McIsaac MA
• Mior SA
• French SD

• Affiliation / Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC)
• Affiliation / Centre for the Study of Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation
• Affiliation / Macquarie University. Faculty of Science and Engineering. Department of Chiropractic
• Affiliation / Queen's University. Department of Public Health Sciences
• Affiliation / Queen's University. School of Rehabilitation Therapy
• Affiliation / University of Ontario Institute of Technology
• Affiliation(G) / Australia / New South Wales / Sydney
• Affiliation(G) / Canada / Ontario / Kingston
• Affiliation(G) / Canada / Ontario / Toronto
• Chiropractors / Canada
• Patient Education as Topic
• Weight Loss

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate weight-loss interventions offered by Canadian doctors of chiropractic to their adult patients.

METHODS: This paper reports a secondary analysis of data from the Ontario Chiropractic Observation and Analysis STudy (N_c = 42 chiropractors, N_p = 2162 patient encounters). Multilevel logistic regression was performed to assess the odds of chiropractors initiating or continuing weight management interventions with patients. Two chiropractor variables and 8 patient-level variables were investigated for influence on chiropractor-directed weight management. In addition, the interaction between the effects of patient weight and comorbidity on weight management interventions by chiropractors was assessed.

RESULTS: Around two-thirds (61.3%) of patients who sought chiropractic care were either overweight or had obesity. Very few patients had weight loss managed by their chiropractor. Among patients with body mass index equal to or greater than 18.5 kg/m², guideline recommended weight management was initiated or continued by Ontario chiropractors in only 5.4% of encounters. Chiropractors did not offer weight management interventions at different rates among patients who were of normal weight, overweight, or obese (P value = 0.23). Chiropractors who graduated after 2005 who may have been exposed to reforms in chiropractic education to include public health were significantly more likely to offer weight management than chiropractors who graduated between 1995 and 2005 (odds ratio 0.02; 95% CI [0.00-0.13]) or before 1995 (odds ratio 0.08; 95% CI [0.01-0.42]).

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of weight management interventions offered to patients by Canadian chiropractors in Ontario was low. Health care policy and continued chiropractic educational reforms may provide further direction to improve weight-loss interventions offered by doctors of chiropractic to their patients.

Author keywords: Weight Loss, Chiropractic, Public Health

Author affiliations: PJHB, MAM: Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. SAM: University of Ontario Institute of Technology-Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Centre for the Study of Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation, University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. SDF: Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada; School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada; Department of Chiropractic, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

This abstract is reproduced with the permission of the publisher; full text is available by subscription. Click on the above link and select a publisher from PubMed's LinkOut feature.