Child and adolescent healthcare professionals have a crucial role
One touch point to reach all family members: Pediatricians and all child and adolescents healthcare professionals are one of the few existing touch points reaching the whole family. Parents visit their pediatricians regularly with their kids for routine, ad-hoc, or special conditions issues.
- Discussions on lifestyle choices already form a significant part of healthcare professionals’ communication with parents: Parents are frequently asking questions related to lifestyle issues for their children: what to eat, how many hours to sleep, what is healthy and what is not etc. These questions offer an excellent context to facilitate broader discussions on healthy behaviours including physical activity (if it becomes a high priority for healthcare professionals remaining at the top of their minds).
- Child and adolescent healthcare professionals are the most credible source of health related information for parents: These professionals are trusted by parents for their children’s health, and therefore could also become a trusted source for the whole family for a range of wider family lifestyle issues if they feel prepared and skilled to overcome their reluctance to advise on the personal lifestyle choices of parents (for example obesity is often seen as a taboo topic considered as a personal choice).