TOPLINE:
The lifestyles of general practitioners (GPs) influenced patients’ adherence to health advice, as unhealthy behaviors could undermine trust and compliance, highlighting the need for GPs to model healthy habits to enhance patient outcomes in managing lifestyle-related chronic diseases.
METHODOLOGY:
- Researchers conducted this cross-sectional study from April 2023 to September 2023 to investigate the influence of unhealthy lifestyles of GPs on patients’ adherence to lifestyle recommendations.
- They distributed an online questionnaire through social media platforms, patient organization newsletters, and medical clinic waiting rooms to adults in Flanders or Brussels with sufficient Dutch language proficiency; 476 completed questionnaires were analyzed in this study.
- The sample comprised 73.2% women, with a median age of 26 years and subjective physical and mental health ratings of 8 and 7 out of 10, respectively.
- The analysis focused on how a GP’s unhealthy lifestyle affected patients’ willingness to follow lifestyle advice — including smoking cessation, alcohol use, and physical activity — and examined how perceived judgment from the GP affected adherence.
TAKEAWAY:
- Patients were less likely to follow lifestyle advice on smoking cessation (62.3%), alcohol use (64.9%), vaccination (49.7%), and eating habits (51.2%) when GPs exhibited corresponding unhealthy behaviors. Additionally, a significant proportion of respondents (68.8%) reported being less likely to follow advice when they felt judged.
- Most respondents reported no influence on their adherence to advice about physical activity, sleep hygiene, and stress management; however, about one third were less likely to follow such advice when their GP did not adhere to these recommendations themselves.
- Age weakly predicted feelings of being judged and adherence, particularly regarding smoking cessation, alcohol use, and vaccination advice from GPs with unhealthy behaviors, with older respondents less affected by GPs’ unhealthy lifestyles than younger ones.
- Respondents with better subjective physical health were less likely to be influenced by advice on physical activity from GPs who were inactive themselves.
IN PRACTICE:
“It remains essential to promote a healthy lifestyle among GPs. Furthermore, respondents are less adherent when they feel judged by their GP. Therefore, it is important that advice is given in an empathetic and nonjudgmental manner,” the authors wrote.
SOURCE:
The study was led by Julie Kerremans, MD, and Birgitte Schoenmakers, MD, PhD, of the Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, in Leuven, Belgium. It was published online on April 2, 2025, in BJGP Open.
LIMITATIONS:
Researchers acknowledged several limitations, including challenges with hypothetical thinking and question formulation. The study was also limited by its small sample size and convenience sampling method. The distribution through social media channels, user group newsletters, and primary care practices resulted in limited insights into response rates and respondents’ intentions.
DISCLOSURES:
No funding was received for this study. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.