Digital resource to help clinicians prevent childhood obesity

Dietitian and University of Queensland Research Fellow Dr Oliver Canfell and team have developed an online resource to help prevent childhood obesity.

The resource is being developed as part of the Precision Support for Preventing Childhood Obesity (PRECISE) program, a partnership between UQ and Health and Wellbeing Queensland (HWQld).

Almost 20 health professionals including GPs, child health nurses and dietitians have been recruited from across Queensland to design the digital solutions to focus on prevention in routine practice.

The tools designed in the PRECISE program will be available via Clinicians Hub, a central digital platform created by HWQld to help health professionals effectively prevent and manage childhood obesity.

HWQld Chief Executive Dr Robyn Littlewood said, “It can be a challenging topic to raise with families, and research shows many doctors feel ill-equipped to manage this complex and sensitive health issue.

“Clinicians Hub offers a variety of clinical tools, resources and training to help health workers identify, prevent and talk about childhood obesity with confidence and impact.

“One in four Queensland children and two in three adults live above a healthy weight range. These patterns are usually well established before five years of age — so we really need to get in early. We need to work smarter together and this is exactly what digital health does.”

The UQ Global Change Institute has established a Digital Health Research Network to support PRECISE and other digital health initiatives.

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