Changes in nurse practitioners' knowledge and behaviors following brief training on the healthy eating and activity together (HEAT) guidelines.

INTRODUCTION: Primary care providers, particularly pediatric nurse practitioners, are an integral force involved in tackling the obesity epidemic among youth. The majority of nurse practitioners, however, report low proficiency regarding their ability to adequately prevent and treat pediatric overweight. In response, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) developed the evidence-based Healthy Eating and Activity Together (HEAT) Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) to improve provider behavior and efficacy.

METHOD: Thirty-five nurse practitioners attending the NAPNAP Annual Conference participated in an intensive 4-hour HEAT CPG training session. Pre-training and post-training data were collected on provider knowledge, practice behaviors, and barriers in relation to the prevention of overweight among youth.

RESULTS: Post-training results revealed significant improvements in (a) practitioner knowledge (assessment of patient growth, family history, psychosocial functioning, nutrition, and physical activity); (b) practitioners' intent to improve behavior (i.e., increased intent to use behavior modification and counseling aimed at patient and family behavior change); and (c) practitioners' report of increased confidence in ability to address barriers.

DISCUSSION: Study findings demonstrate preliminary support for the HEAT CPG as an effective tool aimed at helping providers to improve their ability to maintain patients' healthy weight. Future research is needed to verify the effects of HEAT CPG on long-term improvements in care.