The Relationship Between Body Weight and Primary Healthcare Visits

In the United States (U.S.), currently more than 40% of adults have obesity. This high prevalence presents great concern to demographers because of the potential consequences obesity holds for population health trajectories in morbidity and mortality and individuals’ well-being. Primary care providers are critical for managing chronic health conditions, including obesity. This makes it vital to understand whether and how weight shapes primary care use in the U.S. We make this contribution by investigating how obesity is related to annual visits with two of the most common primary healthcare providers used by U.S. men and women—general physicians and gynecologists. Analysis of data from National Health Interview Survey (2010–2018) participants suggests that obesity and overweight are positively associated with annual physician visits among both men and women, with men with class II and III obese having significantly higher odds of annual physician visits than women. In addition, although women with obesity have greater odds of general physician visits than women with normal weight, the former group has lower odds of gynecological visits. This study offers important insights into how obesity positively shapes annual physician visits but negatively shapes gynecological care of women—especially those with class III obesity.