4. Discussion
obesity, eating behavior, chronic diseases
OBESITY, DISEASE, HYPERTENSION, CHRONIC DISEASES
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to analyze the influence of the audiovisual presence of the patients' own specialist doctor in an online intervention program aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle (regular physical exercise and healthy eating behavior) in patients with an obesity–hypertension phenotype. Indeed, we are not aware of any other studies on any other disease or pathological condition that have looked at this possible effect. Contrary to expectation, the presence of a patients' “own doctor” in the audiovisual content did not bring about any significant additional benefits over the efficacy of the e–counseling in patients with obesity and hypertension.It is known that physically active and health-conscious doctors can become influential role models for their patients, motivating them to adopt healthier lifestyles with the aim of preventing and treating possible chronic diseases (The degree of completion by the participants was lower compared to a previous “Although the results of this study did not confirm the initial hypothesis, the “