ArticleCureus2026
Comparative Perspectives on Obesity From Medical Students, Practitioners, and Non-medical Students.
Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveObesity is a multifactorial chronic disease with a rising prevalence globally and in Pakistan. Despite this, public understanding and acceptance of obesity as a disease remain inconsistent, often contributing to stigma and delayed care. Examining how different groups perceive obesity is essential for guiding public health efforts and reducing weight-related stigma.
methodsThis comparative analytical cross-sectional study included 264 participants recruited through convenience sampling between November and December 2025 from Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Lahore Medical College and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Data were collected using a questionnaire adapted from the 33-item survey by Puhl and Liu assessing perceptions of obesity as a disease and attitudes toward its classification and treatment. Following assessment of normality, non-normally distributed variables were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, while normally distributed variables were compared using ANOVA with post hoc analysis, with statistical significance set at p ≤ 0.05.
resultsThere were 264 participants in total, including medical professionals, medical students, and non-medical students. The majority were female (72.0%), aged between 18 and 24 (56.1%), and aware of body mass index (96.6%). Regarding the factors supporting the classification of obesity as a disease, there was no discernible difference between the three groups (Kruskal-Wallis, p = 0.436). On the other hand, the opposing elements showed a significant difference (ANOVA, p = 0.036). While no significant differences were found between the other group comparisons, post hoc analysis showed that medical practitioners had significantly lower opposing scores than non-medical students (p = 0.041).
conclusionMedical training and clinical exposure were associated with greater recognition of obesity as a disease and lower levels of stigmatizing attitudes. These findings highlight the need for educational interventions and culturally relevant awareness programs to improve understanding of obesity and address stigma in broader populations, especially in South Asia.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.