Improving Communication Between Providers and Parents of School-Aged Children: A Toolkit Approach to Pediatric Obesity

Childhood obesity has increased significantly since the early 1980s. In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years in the United States were considered to be overweight or obese. Primary care providers are integral in diagnosing and treating pediatric obesity. However, many providers feel unprepared on how to approach obesity and navigate the barriers that currently exist. These barriers include a lack of knowledge of local resources, fear of offending patients or families, or simply not having enough time. Some treatment options, such as motivational interviewing techniques and family-centered counseling, have been effective, but these are not utilized appropriately in many primary care practices. Problem Statement A toolkit with easy-to-access and evidence-based local resources has been identified as a need in two local community clinics to help primary care providers increase comfort and skill in approaching school-aged patients and families about obesity. Objectives 1. Compile a toolkit for PCPs to use in approaching and managing school-aged children who are overweight or obese 2. Present evidence-based toolkit to providers at two community clinical sites 3. Submission of summarized information to advanced-practice nursing journal Implementation, Evaluation, and Results A comprehensive literature review was competed and reviewed by the committee. IRB approval was sought for this project, and was deemed Exempt. Providers at two local community clinics completed a needs assessment, and a toolkit was designed based on the needs of each clinic. The toolkit was then presented to providers at both clinics. A post-survey was distributed to providers at both clinics, and results from that survey were used to adjust the toolkit further. Providers overall stated an increased understanding of local resources, as well as an increased comfort in utilizing motivational interviewing techniques. The literature review, toolkit information, and survey results were then summarized into an article for submission to an advanced-practice nursing journal. Summary Pediatric obesity is a problem of national and worldwide importance. Many programs and treatment options exist, but are vastly underutilized. Providers feel unprepared and overwhelmed on how to approach patients and families about obesity. The creation of a toolkit has helped increase providers' comfort and skill in diagnosing and treating pediatric obesity in two local community clinics.