Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Communication
  • Published:

Nutrition communication styles of family doctors: results of quantitative research

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 59, pages S47–S56 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To assess the nutrition communication styles of Dutch family doctors and in particular to assess its psychosocial and sociodemographic correlates.

Design:

A cross-sectional study in which a representative sample of 600 Dutch family doctors completed a questionnaire.

Setting:

The survey was conducted in October and November 2004 in the Netherlands.

Subjects:

A total of 267 family doctors completed the questionnaire (response rate 45%).

Methods:

Principal component factor analyses with varimax rotation were performed to construct factors. Cronbach's α was used as an index of reliability. Our hypothetical model for nutrition communication style was tested using multiple regression analysis, combining the forward and backward procedures under the condition of the same results.

Results:

Many family doctors felt at ease with a motivational nutrition communication style. The main predictor for motivational nutrition communication style was task perception of prevention (26%). Some individual and environmental correlates had an additional influence (explained variance 49%). Other styles showed explained variances up to 57%. The motivational style was the best predictor for actual nutrition communication behaviour (35%), while the confrontational style was the best predictor for actual nutrition communication behaviour towards overweight (34%).

Conclusions:

In contemporary busy practice, family doctors seem to rely on their predominant nutrition communication style to deal with standard situations efficiently: for the majority, this proved to be the motivational nutrition communication style. Moreover, family doctors used a combination of styles. This study suggests that family doctors behave like chameleons, by adapting their style to the specific circumstances, like context, time and patient. If family doctors communicate about nutrition in general, they select any of the five nutrition communication styles. If they communicate about overweight, they pick either the confrontational or motivational style.

Sponsorship:

Dutch Dairy Association.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anis NA, Lee RE, Ellerbeck EF, Nazir N, Greiner KA & Ahluwalia JS (2004): Direct observation of physician counseling on dietary habits and exercise: patient, physician, and office correlates. Prev. Med. 38, 198–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brotons C, Björkelund C, Bulc M, Ciurana R, Godycki-Cwirko M, Jurgova E, Kloppe P, Lionis C, Mierzecki A, Piñeiro R, Pullerits L, Sammut MR, Sheehan M, Tataradze R, Thireos EA & Vuchak J (2005): Prevention and health promotion in clinical practice: the views of general practitioners in Europe. Prev. Med. 40, 595–601.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Contento IR, Randell JS & Basch CE (2002): Review and analysis of evaluation measures used in nutrition education intervention research. J. Nutr. Educ. Behav. 34, 2–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eaton CB, Goodwin MA & Stange KC (2002): Direct observation of nutrition counseling in community family practice. Am. J. Prev. Med. 23, 174–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fogelman Y, Vinker S, Lachter J, Biderman A, Itzhak B & Kitai E (2002): Managing obesity: A survey of attitudes and practices among israeli primary care physicians. Int. J. Obes. 26, 1393–1397.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Glanz K, Tziraki C, Albright CL & Fernandes J (1995): Nutrition assessment and counseling practices: attitudes and interests of primary care physicians. J. Gen. Int. Med. 10, 89–92.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Helman A (1997): Nutrition and general practice: an Australian perspective. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 65 (Suppl), 1939S–1942S.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hiddink GJ, Hautvast JGAJ, van Woerkum CMJ, Fieren CJ & van ‘t Hof MA (1997): Driving forces for and barriers to nutrition guidance practices of Dutch primary care physicians. J. Nutr. Educ. 29, 36–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hommel GA (1988): A stagewise rejective multiple test procedure based on a modified Bonferroni test. Biometrika 75, 383–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein Buller M & Buller DB (1987): Physicians’ communication style and patient satisfaction. J. Health Soc. Behav. 28, 375–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kolasa KM (2005): Strategies to enhance effectiveness of individual-based nutrition communication. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 59, S24–S30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kushner RF (1995): Barriers to providing nutrition counseling by physicians: a survey of primary care practitioners. Prev. Med. 24, 546–552.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lawson MT (2002): Nurse practitioner and physician communication styles. Appl. Nurs. Res. 15, 60–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maiburg BHJ, Rethans J-JE & van Ree JW (2004): GPs’ needs for practice-oriented nutrition education: a Delphi study among Dutch GPs. Fam. Pract. 21, 425–428.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicolas L, Pond D & Roberts DCK (2005): The effectiveness of nutrition counselling by Australian general practitioners. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 59, S140–S146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pavlekovic G & Brborovic O (2005): Individual-based nutrition communication strategies in Croatia. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 59, S40–S46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richards D & Mitchell G (2001): GPs and nutrition: what they want and how they want it. A GP nutrition education project. Austr. J. Nutr. Diet. 58, 56–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roter DL, Stewart M., Putnam SM, Lipkin M, Stiles W & Inui TS (1997): Communication patterns of primary care physicians. JAMA 277, 350–356.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Street RL (2002): Gender differences in health care provider-patient communication: are they due to style, stereotype, or accomodation? Pat. Educ. Counsel. 48, 201–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Dillen SME, Hiddink GJ, Koelen MA, de Graaf C & van Woerkum CMJ (submitted): Identification of nutrition communication styles and strategies: a qualitative study among Dutch GPs.

  • Van Dillen SME, Hiddink GJ, Koelen MA, de Graaf C & van Woerkum CMJ (2004): Perceived relevance and information needs regarding food topics and preferred information sources among Dutch adults: results of a quantitative consumer study. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 58, 1306–1313.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van Dusseldorp M, Meeuws H, van Kessel H, Hendriks L, Chin L & Bakx C (1988): Frequentie van voedingsvragen op het spreekuur van de huisarts. Ned. Tijdschr. Geneesk. 132, 2323–2328. (in Dutch).

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Woerkum CMJ (2003): The Internet and primary care physicians: coping with different expectations. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 77 (Suppl 4), 1016S–1018S.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Visscher TLS, Kromhout D & Seidell JC (2002): Long-term and recent time trends in the prevalence of obesity among Dutch men and women. Int. J. Obes. 26, 1409–1416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all family doctors for their participation. We are grateful to the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL), who took a sample of family doctors from their database for our study. We also thank market research office GfK (Linda Ruijten, Gwyneth Leermakers) for their help in the organisation of this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Communication Management, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    S M E van Dillen, G J Hiddink, M A Koelen & C M J van Woerkum

Authors
  1. S M E van Dillen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. G J Hiddink
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M A Koelen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. C M J van Woerkum
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S M E van Dillen.

Additional information

Guarantor: S van Dillen.

Contributors: All authors were participants of the project group of the project called ‘Nutrition Education through Health Professionals’. They were all involved in the design of the study, including the development of the questionnaire. GJH and SvD organised the data collection in co-operation with market research office GfK. SvD was responsible for data analysis. Furthermore, all authors contributed to the discussion of the results. Finally, SvD wrote the manuscript and the other authors critically revised the manuscript.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

van Dillen, S., Hiddink, G., Koelen, M. et al. Nutrition communication styles of family doctors: results of quantitative research. Eur J Clin Nutr 59 (Suppl 1), S47–S56 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602174

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602174

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links