title: The 5As team intervention: bridging the knowledge gap in obesity management among primary care practitioners.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite opportunities for didactic education on obesity management, we still observe low rates of weight management visits in our primary care setting. This paper describes the co-creation by front-line interdisciplinary health care providers and researchers of the 5As Team intervention to improve obesity prevention and management in primary care.
  
  
  METHODS
  We describe the theoretical foundations, design, and core elements of the 5AsT intervention, and the process of eliciting practitioners' self-identified knowledge gaps to inform the curricula for the 5AsT intervention. Themes and topics were identified through facilitated group discussion and a curriculum relevant to this group of practitioners was developed and delivered in a series of 12 workshops.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The research question and approach were co-created with the clinical leadership of the PCN; the PCN committed internal resources and a practice facilitator to the effort. Practice facilitation and learning collaboratives were used in the intervention For the content, front-line providers identified 43 topics, related to 13 themes around obesity assessment and management for which they felt the need for further education and training. These needs included: cultural identity and body image, emotional and mental health, motivation, setting goals, managing expectations, weight-bias, caregiver fatigue, clinic dynamics and team-based care, greater understanding of physiology and the use of a systematic framework for obesity assessment (the "4Ms" of obesity). The content of the 12 intervention sessions were designed based on these themes. There was a strong innovation values fit with the 5AsT intervention, and providers were more comfortable with obesity management following the intervention. The 5AsT intervention, including videos, resources and tools, has been compiled for use by clinical teams and is available online at http://www.obesitynetwork.ca/5As_Team .
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Primary care interdisciplinary practitioners perceive important knowledge gaps across a wide range of topics relevant to obesity assessment and management. This description of the intervention provides important information for trial replication. The 5AsT intervention may be a useful aid for primary care teams interested to improve their knowledge of obesity prevention and management. Clinical Trials.gov (NCT01967797).
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Obesity Research and Management University of Alberta, Li Ka Shing Center for Health Research Innovation, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E1, Canada. aogunley@ualberta.ca.|Department of Family Medicine, University of Alberta, 6-10 University Terrace, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2T4, Canada. aogunley@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Ayodele
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ogunleye
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Obesity Research and Management University of Alberta, Li Ka Shing Center for Health Research Innovation, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E1, Canada. aogunley@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Adedayo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Osunlana
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Obesity Research and Management University of Alberta, Li Ka Shing Center for Health Research Innovation, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E1, Canada. aogunley@ualberta.ca.|Department of Family Medicine, University of Alberta, 6-10 University Terrace, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2T4, Canada. aogunley@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Jodie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Asselin
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Alberta, 6-10 University Terrace, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2T4, Canada. aogunley@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cave
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Obesity Research and Management University of Alberta, Li Ka Shing Center for Health Research Innovation, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E1, Canada. aogunley@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Arya Mitra
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Alberta, 6-10 University Terrace, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2T4, Canada. aogunley@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Denise Lynn
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Campbell-Scherer
mesh_terms: D000416:Alberta; D019468:Disease Management; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000628:therapy*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D016730:Program Development / Q000379:methods*