A Scoping Review of Outcome Measurement Instruments Assessing Healthcare Professionals’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Beliefs About Adult Obesity

Background
The relationship between knowledge, attitudes and beliefs (KAB) is complex and reciprocal. Although KAB are internal constructs, they collectively influence behaviour without necessarily determining it. In obesity management, understanding healthcare professionals’ (HCPs’) KAB about adult obesity is crucial. However, comprehensive and valid outcome measurement instruments (OMIs) are necessary to accurately reflect their perspectives.

Objective
This scoping review aimed to identify and evaluate published OMIs that assess HCPs’ KAB about adult obesity, utilising the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) framework.

Methods
Following the COSMIN methodology and the five-stage scoping review framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley, and refined by Levac and Colquhoun, reviewers searched six databases—Embase, Medline, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Google Scholar—for studies published from 1 January 1991 to 1 May 2025. Inclusion criteria required studies to focus on HCPs’ KAB, OMI development, psychometric evaluation or application in relation to adult obesity. Two reviewers screened the literature and assessed methodological quality using the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist, and evidence quality was graded with a modified GRADE approach.

Results
A total of 9213 records were identified, 45 articles were evaluated for full-text eligibility, and 4 articles were selected for final review. According to COSMIN criteria, the methodological quality of these studies was deemed inadequate. None demonstrated sufficient content validity, with common limitations including unrepresentative samples of HCPs’ and poorly defined constructs. As per the COSMIN ‘stop rule’,” no further psychometric evaluations were conducted.

Conclusion
There is a significant gap in the availability of rigorously developed instruments for assessing HCPs’ KAB about adult obesity. There is a clear need for more contemporary and reliable OMIs that adhere to quality standards, such as those outlined in the COSMIN framework.