Strategies proposed by family physicians to overcome barriers to prevention of pediatric obesity
| STRATEGY | EXPLANATION |
|---|---|
| Attend education sessions and receive support | Providing short education sessions (on-site visits) regarding new BMI growth charts and updated clinical practice guidelines revealed a dramatic increase in self-reported counseling ability |
| Provide adequate training | Medical school curricula should include a comprehensive component on assessing and counseling children with weight problems |
| Provide workshops with experts | Workshops given by exercise specialists and experts in pediatric obesity, dietetics, and child psychology can provide valuable insight on new treatment options, improving current health care methods, and addressing motivation |
| Use patient-centred software | Standardizing the collection of relevant patient information from initial medical assessments and follow-up visits saves time and improves efficiency |
| Use learning modules | Learning modules provide guidance on nutrition, physical activity, and behaviour modification using a structured treatment manual for weight counseling |
| Use electronic health records with automatic electronic alerts | Electronic health records with automatic electronic alerts provide easy calculation of BMI values and automatically display trends in patient weight changes. Electronic health records also force documentation and allow for efficient follow-up |
| Provide parents with take-home messages | Most parents become more receptive to providing weight-related counseling and less resistant to behaviour changes when they are well informed about their children’s health |
| Encourage parents | Parents can serve as models for change; primary care providers should encourage them to make lifestyle adjustments a family affair |
| Provide resources to patients and parents | Detailed weight management recommendations (eg, handouts of Canada’s Food Guide, Canada’s Physical Activity Guide) and links to accredited websites might ease the work of family physicians |
| Use the Standardized Obesity Family Therapy treatment model | By focusing on family interactions, this model can help improve obesity, physical fitness, self-esteem, and family functioning |
BMI—body mass index.
Data from Plourde,1 Dorsey et al,2 Davis et al,10 Lau et al,11 Nowicka and Flodmark,12 Perrin et al,13 Young et al,14 Polacsek et al,15 Etz et al,16 Koplan et al,17 Whitlock et al,18 and Rodin et al.19