Characteristics of child health care practitioners in overweight prevention of children.

Objective: To identify behavioral and personal characteristics of child health care (CHC) practitioners that influences the effect of early overweight prevention in children.

Methods: In total 216 questionnaires were filled out by CHC practitioners from four organizations in the Netherlands.

Results: There is a gap between awareness of the problem overweight in early childhood and actually discussing this with parents, as well as a gap between the existing recommendations and the perceived importance of early overweight prevention. Despite the fact that nurses have a more central task in life-style support than physicians, they reported to have less knowledge and skills than physicians.

Conclusions: While both CHC physicians and nurses need support in improving their knowledge and skills, it is the nurses who need more support. A more structured and tailored implementation strategy with more emphasis on the needs of the nurses and physicians may improve early overweight management.