Behavioral Counseling for Weight Management by Pediatric Nurse Practitioners: A Quantitative Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric healthcare
• Obesity management
• Behavioral counseling

Background:

• Overweight and obesity are significant public health concerns in pediatric populations.
• Pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) play a crucial role in managing these conditions.
• Assessing current counseling practices of PNPs is essential for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the extent and nature of counseling provided by PNPs for pediatric weight management.
• To identify specific areas of counseling related to healthy body weight, physical activity, and dietary habits.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study design was employed.
• 1,058 PNPs completed a one-time survey.
• The survey focused on counseling practices for healthy body weight, physical activity, and diet (protein, fruits, vegetables).

Main Results:

• PNPs are actively using behavioral counseling strategies for pediatric weight management.
• Counseling is more prevalent for healthy body weight, fruit/vegetable intake, and physical activity compared to protein intake and muscle strengthening.
• PNPs counseling for healthy body weight were significantly more likely to also counsel on physical activity, fruit/vegetable intake, protein intake, and muscle strengthening.

Conclusions:

• PNPs effectively counsel on healthy body weight and related behavioral strategies.
• There is an opportunity to enhance counseling on muscle strengthening for overweight and obese children.
• Integrating comprehensive strategies, including muscle strengthening, can improve weight management outcomes in pediatric patients.