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Minnesota — Obese people may not be treated equally when it comes to being counseled on diet and exercise by their physicians. A study finds that blacks may get less counseling than whites, regardless if the physician they see is black or white.

The study, published online recently in the journal Obesity, looked at a sample of 2,231 visits of black and white men and women considered obese (having a body mass index of 30 or more) to their black or white physicians. Researchers noted if they were given guidance on weight reduction, diet and nutrition, or exercise during the visit. Hispanic and Asian patients and doctors were excluded from the study since their numbers were so small.

Black patients who visited white doctors had less chance of being counseled on exercise than white patients seeing white doctors. Black patients who saw black doctors were also less likely to get advice on weight reduction than white patients who saw black doctors.

Read more at LATimes

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