Even with their clinical knowledge of how obesity contributes to disease, many physicians struggle with advising patients to lose weight. Walk with a Doc, the brainchild of Ohio cardiologist Dr. David Sabgir, is a program that allows physicians to motivate patients to exercise by offering to do it alongside them.

Frustrated with patients not following his recommendations to improve their lifestyles, Sabgir in 2005 invited his first group of patients to join him for a neighborhood walk. The 2.2-mile springtime hike not only got his patients moving but also provided them the opportunity to ask Sabgir their health questions in a casual setting outside the office.

"It's important for our patients to see how much we care about them," Sabgir stated in a video featured on the Walk with a Doc website. "And I'm always concerned that they feel we're maybe rushing them or things like that. We all went into this--nurses and physicians--because we wanted them to have a better life," he said.

Today, there are Walk with a Doc programs in 35 U.S. communities and counting, with doctors around the world currently working to open chapters as well. A typical Walk with a Doc group gathers for 45 minutes every Saturday and is led by a volunteer staff of physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals in the community. The events, which might attract hundreds, are free and open to the public. Physicians precede the walks with a 10-minute talk; but the big draw, according to Cleveland Clinic family physician Dr. Richard Kratche, is that the doctor is "fair game" for questions during the walk.

"Behavior change is one of the hardest things to accomplish so that's both the challenge we have and the opportunity that a program like Walk with the Doc brings," said Kratche in a video discussing his participation with the program.

To learn more:
- read the article in the Columbus Dispatch
- see the Walk with a Doc website
- check out the discussion about walking with patients on LinkedIn

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