title: Characteristics of child health care practitioners in overweight prevention of children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify behavioral and personal characteristics of child health care (CHC) practitioners that influences the effect of early overweight prevention in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total 216 questionnaires were filled out by CHC practitioners from four organizations in the Netherlands.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There is a gap between awareness of the problem overweight in early childhood and actually discussing this with parents, as well as a gap between the existing recommendations and the perceived importance of early overweight prevention. Despite the fact that nurses have a more central task in life-style support than physicians, they reported to have less knowledge and skills than physicians.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While both CHC physicians and nurses need support in improving their knowledge and skills, it is the nurses who need more support. A more structured and tailored implementation strategy with more emphasis on the needs of the nurses and physicians may improve early overweight management.
authors: Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences/CAPHRI, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; The Academic Collaborative Centre for Public Health Limburg, Maastricht, the Netherlands. Electronic address: eveliene.dera@envida.nl.
authors: E G E
authors: EG
authors: Dera-de Bie
authors: Icare Youth Health Care organization, area Flevoland, Drenthe, Gelderland, Overijssel, Friesland, Groningen, the Netherlands.
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Brink-Melis
authors: Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences/CAPHRI, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; The Academic Collaborative Centre for Public Health Limburg, Maastricht, the Netherlands; South Limburg Municipal Health Services, Geleen, the Netherlands.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Jansen
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Maastricht University, the Netherlands.
authors: W J
authors: WJ
authors: Gerver
mesh_terms: D002662:Child Health Services; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D009726:Nurses; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010820:Physicians; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Child health care; Children; Nurses; Overweight; Prevention