Early childhood health promotion and obesity prevention in primary healthcare

Abstract

Primary health professionals (PHPs) have regular contact with families of young children and are well placed to support early childhood health promotion and obesity prevention. This thesis aimed to examine factors influencing the integration of early childhood health promotion and obesity prevention in primary healthcare settings, and to explore the potential to upskill PHPs in these topics through continuing professional development (CPD). Four studies were conducted: (1) a scoping review explored parental experiences of PHP support with early childhood health behaviours and growth; (2) secondary analyses of data from early childhood obesity prevention trials examined associations between parental sociodemographic characteristics, engagement with health professionals for child nutrition/feeding support, and child health behaviours; (3) a needs assessment investigated the state of early childhood obesity prevention in Australian primary healthcare and PHPs’ training needs in this space; and (4) a program evaluation assessed the feasibility and acceptability of an online CPD program regarding early childhood health behaviours and growth. Findings indicate that PHPs are an important source of parental support regarding child nutrition/feeding. However, there are gaps in PHPs’ knowledge and skills which may limit their ability to support early childhood health promotion and obesity prevention. PHPs reported interest in training regarding early childhood health promotion and obesity prevention and the online CPD program was acceptable to PHPs. Future research is required to better understand the impact of CPD on clinical practice and child health outcomes, and to explore alternate CPD delivery models to improve reach and sustainability. System-level barriers to embedding early childhood health promotion and obesity prevention in Australian primary healthcare must be addressed to allow sufficient time and resources to be dedicated to preventive care.