Are Community Pharmacists and Nutritionists capable for Obesity Management in Pakistan? A Cross-sectional Study

The main objective of the study was to evaluate knowledge and perceptions among community pharmacists and nutritionists/dietitians regarding obesity management in Pakistan. A semi-structured questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of sample of 277 community pharmacists and 146 nutritionists. The data were collected, computed and analyzed using SPSS. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests (P = 0.05) were used to compare the knowledge scores of community pharmacists and nutritionists regarding obesity management by profession, length of experience, type of health-care facility, gender, age and city. Out of 423 respondents, 66.5 % agreed on the availability of guidelines. Most of them considered obesity management guidelines (75.5 %), computer programs/internet (66.6 %) and patient experience (68.7 %) as the most frequently used sources for information regarding obesity management. Orlistat (55.1 %) and metformin (55.7 %) were considered the most effective anti-obesity drugs by most of the respondents. The median score for overall knowledge of community pharmacists and nutritionists regarding standard obesity management guidelines was 33 (range 24-48) and 34 (range 24-48), respectively. No significant differences (P < 0.05) were found among the knowledge scores of community pharmacists and nutritionists. The results of the present study showed adequate knowledge and positive perceptions among community pharmacists and nutritionists regarding management of obesity in Pakistan. The results of the study are quite encouraging and indicate that opportunities exist for involving community pharmacist in weight-management services with other healthcare professionals.