Evaluation of Provider Strategies to Promote Adherence to Childhood Obesity Clinical Guidelines

Abstract

**Please note that the full text is embargoed** ABSTRACT: The American population is rapidly becoming ethnically diverse with an increase in Hispanics. As the number of Hispanics increase, so is the prevalence of obesity among Hispanic children, adolescents, and adults, indicating a need for early prevention. Regardless of guidelines from an array of professional organizations, translating evidence-based research into practice remains a challenge for providers. The purpose of this study is to examine how a practice intervention influences provider adherence to childhood obesity guidelines on preventing, assessing, and treating obesity among Hispanic children ages 6 to 12 years old. The practice intervention consisted of provider awareness of current practice performance in comparison to recommended guidelines, provider involvement in practice improvement strategies, and collaborative support by the researcher to implement the practice strategies. The Iowa Model of evidence-based practice guided the study. The providers involved in the study had access to a profile of their current practice behaviors along with an orientation process to written resources and office tools on current clinical guidelines and expert panel recommendations on childhood obesity prevention, assessment, and treatment. The researcher also collaborated with the providers to help develop and incorporate an organization friendly system (stamp template, prevention message prescription and resource box) to implement evidence-based guidelines into practice. The researcher made weekly visits to the site over a two month period to monitor progression of adherence to practice guidelines. Data collection strategy included retrospective chart audits for documentation of adherence to guidelines. The baseline profile of clinic performance allowed the participants to implement strategies that resulted in statistically significant improvements in total adherence to childhood obesity clinical guidelines. The findings from this study suggest that practice interventions which include provider awareness, provider involvement, and collaborative support can change practice behaviors.