How can I effectively engage parents and caregivers in the management of their child's obesity?

Engage families and carers by discussing the importance of their support and readiness to adhere to the intervention, and explore any issues they may be facing that could affect attendance and participation in the intervention ¹.

Include families and carers in discussions about improving dietary intake, eating patterns, and reducing sedentary behaviour, ensuring that dietary changes are age-appropriate, affordable, culturally sensitive, and aligned with healthy eating advice ¹.

Regularly compare progress against goals with families and carers, providing feedback, praising achievements, and updating goals as the child or young person progresses ¹.

Stress the importance of maintaining changes over the longer term, regardless of how small, and encourage ongoing support from families, carers, and professionals ¹.

Offer assessment and information about local and national behavioural overweight and obesity management interventions to family members and carers who are living with overweight or obesity, emphasizing that the intervention may benefit the whole family ¹.