Addressing child weight issues in the consultation – what could we be doing better in general practice?

In this episode, we talk to Professor Miranda Pallan, a public health doctor who is Professor of Child and Adolescent Public Health at the University of Birmingham.Title of paper: Supporting healthcare professionals to address child weight with parents: a qualitative studyAvailable at: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2023.0238Healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in primary care and community settings are known to experience barriers in discussing child excess weight with parents. We conducted a qualitative study with General Practitioners, Primary Care Nurses and School Nurses to further explore these barriers and identify facilitating factors to inform recommendations for actions to support HCPs in addressing child weight with parents. Structural changes within primary/community care, joined up systems and data sharing across agencies, and development of HCP knowledge and skills through core training and continuing professional development will enable HCPs to discuss child weight and provide advice to parents.