Clinician perspectives on models of care for pediatric weight management services in Australia: A mixed-methods study

Abstract

Introduction For children with moderate to severe obesity, secondary and tertiary level services provide a platform for a more intensive approach toward weight management. Clinician and health care managers’ (HCM) views are imperative for informing the nature of future services to treat such children. Methods This concurrent mixed-methods study utilized questionnaires and semi-structured focus groups with clinicians, and one-on-one semi-structured interviews with HCMs, who worked in six secondary or tertiary pediatric weight management clinics across five public hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. The Theoretical Domains Framework was employed to underpin the development of the interview guides. The recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded line-by-line, noting the key emerging themes. The results from the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Clinicians (n=27) provided multiple approaches to weight management, tailored to families and patients. Clinicians more often provided general healthy eating advice over a specific diet approach. Four-fifths used body mass index percentile change as a measure of success, as well as behavioral outcomes such as improvements in physical activity levels, screen time and sleep quality. Use of a combination of group and individual sessions were thought to improve engagement and reduce attrition rates. Clinicians and HCMs recommended integrating clinics into community centres and providing specific programs for sub-groups such as children from culturally and linguistically diverse communities or children with development delay. Many clinicians and HCMs stressed the importance of pediatric weight clinics using a holistic approach to treatment. Research into clinical outcomes for services was recommended to enable the development of a business case for further funding of pediatric weight management services. Conclusion Addressing common barriers to current pediatric weight management services, and designing future models of care based on key stakeholders’ preferences, are critical to achieving optimal care provision for this high risk population.