Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

Obesity increases the risk of numerous chronic diseases, resulting in a decline in the quality and duration of life. Despite widespread awareness of the importance of reducing obesity and promoting healthy lifestyles, most primary care physicians fail to counsel obese patients adequately. It has been shown that the strongest determinant for increasing physical activity as part of healthy lifestyle was whether or not a physician had recommended it. However, very few physicians have specific training in physical activity and health promotion which will make the physicians less likely to recommend exercise programs to their patients. Therefore, it is essential to teach physicians how to improve counseling skills, define the current recommended exercise guidelines and provide a template of the exercise prescription for prevention as well as treatment of obesity.

Biography

Gul Bahtiyar, female, endocrinologist, graduated from medical school, Istanbul University in 1998. She did research at Yale University, New Haven, USA, 1998-2000. She completed her residency in medicine at Carney Hospital, Tufts University, Boston, USA, 2003 and endocrine fellowship at State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, USA, 2005. She is currently doing a master degree in public health at Downstate Medical Center. Since 2005, she works at Woodhull Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, NY, USA, highly involved in teaching. She has published more than 20 papers in reputed journals.