Talking About Weight With Families-Helping Health Care Professionals Start the Conversation: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial

Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2020 Sep;59(9-10):910-917. doi: 10.1177/0009922820922844. Epub 2020 May 30.

Abstract

Health care professionals (HCPs) and trainees feel ill-equipped to discuss weight-related issues with children and their families. A whiteboard video for HCPs and trainees outlining strategies to communicate about weight was developed and evaluated. Seventy HCPs, including 15 trainees, participated in the baseline assessment and 39 repeated measures 4 to 6 months later. HCP self-efficacy for initiating conversations with overweight and underweight patients, measured immediately following the video, significantly improved from pre-video values (Z = -5.6, P ≤ .001, and Z= -3.3, P = .001, respectively). Although improvements were not sustained 4 to 6 months later (overweight: P = .143, and underweight: P = .846), no significant decline was observed, suggesting retention of the skill. A majority of HCP respondents would recommend the video to a colleague and feel it will affect their practice. Thus, the present study suggests educational videos may be an effective tool for facilitating healthy weight-related conversations between HCPs and their pediatric patients.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03664492.

Keywords: confidence; conversation; educational video; health care professional; pediatrics; weight management.

Publication types

  • Controlled Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Child
  • Clinical Competence
  • Communication
  • Education, Continuing / methods*
  • Female
  • Health Personnel / education*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Overweight / therapy*
  • Professional-Family Relations*
  • Professional-Patient Relations*
  • Self Efficacy
  • Thinness / therapy*
  • Video Recording*
  • Young Adult

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT03664492