{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,26]],"date-time":"2026-02-26T06:27:14Z","timestamp":1772087234573,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,25]],"date-time":"2026-02-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771977600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":24,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West)."}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,12]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,2]]},"abstract":"\n Objective<\/jats:title>\n To understand how public health practitioners (PHPs) are using parental guidance on talking to children in their work with parents. In 2021, evidence-based guidance was produced for parents of young children to facilitate these conversations, but it is unclear how this guidance is being promoted to parents or used by PHPs.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Design<\/jats:title>\n Qualitative study, consisting of in-depth, semistructured interviews.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Setting<\/jats:title>\n Local authority, National Health Service or other healthy weight service providers in the UK.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Participants<\/jats:title>\n Participants were PHPs working on children\u2019s healthier lifestyles programmes in the UK as part of the UK\u2019s National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP). Invitations to participate were distributed via the Department of Health and Social Care and regional and national networks.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n 24 participants were interviewed. Practice varied between organisations with the guidance being used in NCMP letters to parents, in follow-up phone calls with parents and in training NCMP staff and other health or education professionals. Participants valued the evidence-based guidance and its compassionate tone, feeling it gave them and parents, confidence in addressing a sensitive topic. Some felt it was too lengthy for parents with learning disabilities or low literacy levels. Others identified a need for similar guidance for older children. Though helpful, participants acknowledged the guidance was only one small part of a necessary systems-wide approach to promoting healthy weight.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n The guidance is a useful tool but needs systematic promotion to increase use and effectiveness. Further work is warranted to develop adapted versions for other populations.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2025-105371","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,26]],"date-time":"2026-02-26T05:10:20Z","timestamp":1772082620000},"page":"e105371","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["How public health practitioners in the UK are using parental guidance on talking to children about weight: a qualitative study"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0342-2124","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rowan","family":"Brockman","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West), Bristol, UK"},{"name":"University of Bristol, Bristol, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fiona","family":"Gillison","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West), Bristol, UK"},{"name":"University of Bath, Bath, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Elisabeth B","family":"Grey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West), Bristol, UK"},{"name":"University of Bristol, Bristol, UK"},{"name":"University of Bath, Bath, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Russ","family":"Jago","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West), Bristol, UK"},{"name":"University of Bristol, Bristol, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2047-6519","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Georgie J","family":"MacArthur","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Bristol, Bristol, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Callum","family":"Gutteridge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Gloucestershire County Council, Gloucester, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7722-0808","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rebecca","family":"Langford","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West), Bristol, UK"},{"name":"University of Bristol, Bristol, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026022521101030000_16.2.e105371.1","unstructured":"NHS England . 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