Health professionals' views and experiences of discussing weight with children and their families: A systematic review of qualitative research.

REGULATION of body weight; CINAHL database; PSYCHOLOGY information storage & retrieval systems; OCCUPATIONAL roles; MEDICAL information storage & retrieval systems; CHILDHOOD obesity; ATTITUDE (Psychology); SYSTEMATIC reviews; MEDICAL personnel; FAMILY health; PATIENTS' families; SOCIOECONOMIC factors; COMMUNICATION; HEALTH behavior; CHILDREN'S health; PATIENT-professional relations; MEDLINE; THEMATIC analysis; JOB performance; BEHAVIOR modification

Background: Healthcare professionals are ideally placed to discuss weight management with children and families to treat and prevent childhood obesity. The aim of this review was to collect and synthesize primary research evidence relating to health professional's views and experiences of discussing weight with children and their families. Methods: Systematic searches were conducted using the following databases: MEDLINE (OVID), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), EMBASE (OVID), PsycINFO (OVID) and Healthcare Management Information Consortium (HMIC). Twenty‐six full text qualitative studies published in English Language journals since inception to October 2019 were included. Papers were quality assessed and synthesized using an inductive thematic analysis approach. Results: Data analysis generated five themes: sensitivity of the issue, family–professional relationships, whole systems approach, professional competency and sociocultural context. Conclusion: Supporting behaviour change through discussion of healthy weight with children and families is an important part of the health professional's role. Tailored information for professionals, including resources and training, facilitates them to confidently talk to children and families about weight prioritized within interventions. The success of such interventions requires commitment from a range of professionals to ensure healthy weight is tackled through a whole system approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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