General practice views of managing childhood obesity in primary care: a qualitative analysis

Abstract

ObjectiveTo explore general practice staff views of managing childhood obesity in primary care.DesignA qualitative study to elicit the views of clinical and non-clinical general practice staff on managing childhood obesity.SettingInterviews were conducted at 30 general practices across England. These practices were interviewed as part of the Quality and Outcomes Framework Pilot Study.ParticipantsA total of 52 staff from 30 practices took part in a semi-structured interview.Main outcome measuresKey themes were identified through thematic analysis of transcripts using an inductive approach.ResultsThree themes were identified: lack of contact with well children, sensitivity of the issue, and the potential impact of general practice. Identifying overweight children was challenging because well children rarely attended the practice. Interviewees felt ill equipped to solve the issue because they lacked influence over the environmental, economic and lifestyle factors underpinning obesity. They described little evidence to support general practice intervention and seemed unaware of other services. Raising the issue was described as sensitive.ConclusionGeneral practice staff were unconvinced that they could have a significant role in managing childhood obesity on a large scale. Participants believed schools have more contact with children and should coordinate the identification and management of overweight children. Future policy could recommend a minor role for general practice involving opportunistically identifying overweight children and signposting to obesity services.

Okul Çağındaki Fazla Kilolu/Obez Çocukların ve Ebeveynlerinin “Sağlıklı Beslenme Sürecine Yönelik” Bakış Açıları: Nitel Bir Çalışma

“…In a study, general practice staff working in primary health care services stated that it is difficult to detect overweight children and they reported that they have limited interaction with these children. They emphasized that schools can take a more active role in detecting and interacting with overweight children (41). Another important point emphasized by parents in our study is that school canteens being made up of unhealthy foods is an important obstacle and concrete steps should be taken to family cooperation is the intersection point of clusters and any obesity intervention for children cannot be effective without the participation of the family.…”

Family physicians’ views on their role in the management of childhood obesity: a mixed methods study from Turkey

“…Another critical issue related to problems of PHC in Turkey that fails the role of primary care in the management of CO was that FHCs were not being utilized for child monitoring after school age. In different studies, practitioners also reported limited contact with children [ 11 , 25 , 26 ].…”

A Systematic Review Looking at the Current Best Practices as well as Primary Care Practitioner's Views on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Childhood Obesity

“…A separate study in the USA identified a gap in care for children aged 18 months to 5 years [ 40 ]. Similarly, a UK-based study identified that GPs felt that contact with children was inconsistent and that having obese children not present to the clinic for long periods is an issue in identifying obesity [ 41 ]. A second UK-based study elicited that GPs had concerns over the usefulness of the National Child Measurement Scheme [ 42 ].…”