Maintaining a healthy weight is important for living a life free from disease. Weight counseling from doctors can help individuals monitor their weight to prevent and dissolve diseases such as cancer. While a burgeoning body of medical research has focused on the effects weight has on cancer, it has failed to address ways weight discussions are effectively executed in real occurring oncological interactions. This study examines 16 weight conversations from 13 transcriptions of naturally occurring oncological medical interviews. Focusing on weight, the research analyzes communicative behaviors between new cancer patients and their oncologists to better understand ways patient and provider weight agendas are achieved through conversation. CA methods are used to show in detail how 10 oncologists and 13 patients: (a) treated weight as "no problem" cases communicatively, and (b) as "problem" cases communicatively. Findings from this study allow for better understanding of effective communicative patterns, when discussing weight, between oncologists and new cancer patients. This study results in an empirical foundation for which an effective weight communication education program can be built.
