Difference of lifestyle advice between traditional Chinese medical doctors (TCMDs) and Western-style medical doctors (WSMDs) in People's Republic of China.

The role of physicians in providing lifestyle advice is very important in disease prevention and health promotion. This study was designed to examine (a) the difference of lifestyle advice provided for general practice patients between traditional Chinese medical doctors (TCMDs) and Western-style medical doctors (WSMDs), (b) the difference of lifestyle advice provided for cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients between the TCMDs and WSMDs, (c) the difference of lifestyle advice provided for general practice and CVD patients by the TCMDs, and (d) the difference of lifestyle advice provided for general practice and CVD patients by the WSMDs. One thousand four-hundred and thirty general practice patient records and 640 CVD patient records from a Western-style medical hospital, and 1620 general practice records and 830 CVD patient records from a traditional Chinese medical hospital were selected for comparison. Results indicated that TCMDs were more likely to provide nutrition, exercise, and stress management for their patients than WSMDs. On the other hand, WSMDs were more likely to provide smoking and alcohol consumption for their patients than the TCMDs. In addition, both TCMDs and WSMDs were more likely to provide all categories of lifestyle advice for their CVD patients than their general practice patients.