title: Healthy conversation skills: increasing competence and confidence in front-line staff.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  (i) To assess change in confidence in having conversations that support parents with healthy eating and physical activity post-training. (ii) To assess change in staff competence in using 'open discovery' questions (those generally beginning with 'how' and 'what' that help individuals reflect and identify barriers and solutions) post-training. (iii) To examine the relationship between confidence and competence post-training.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pre-post evaluation of 'Healthy Conversation Skills', a staff training intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sure Start Children's Centres in Southampton, England.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 145 staff working in Sure Start Children's Centres completed the training, including play workers (43%) and community development or family support workers (35%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed an increase in median confidence rating for having conversations about healthy eating and physical activity (both P < 0·001), and in using 'open discovery' questions (P < 0·001), after staff attended the 'Healthy Conversation Skills' training. We also found a positive relationship between the use of 'open discovery' questions and confidence in having conversations about healthy eating post-training (r = 0·21, P = 0·01), but a non-significant trend was observed for having conversations about physical activity (r = 0·15, P = 0·06).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 'Healthy Conversation Skills' training proved effective at increasing the confidence of staff working at Sure Start Children's Centres to have more productive conversations with parents about healthy eating. Wider implementation of these skills may be a useful public health nutrition capacity building strategy to help community workers support families with young children to eat more healthy foods.
authors.affiliation: 1Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Black
authors.affiliation: 1Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.affiliation: 2 NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Nutrition, Diet and Lifestyle, Southampton University NHS Hospitals Trust, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cradock
authors.affiliation: 1Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ntani
authors.affiliation: 1Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: Tannaze
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tinati
authors.affiliation: 1Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jarman
authors.affiliation: 1Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: Rufia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Begum
authors.affiliation: 1Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: Hazel
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inskip
authors.affiliation: 1Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: Cyrus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.affiliation: 1Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barker
authors.affiliation: 1Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: Janis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baird
mesh_terms: D000288:Administrative Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D017146:Models, Organizational; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D024382:Professional Role; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D013192:Staff Development / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires