Confidence of health professionals in public health approaches to obesity prevention

OBJECTIVE: To assess the views of professionals working in the obesity field on the potential usefulness and feasibility of implementing different types of public health prevention strategies. METHOD: A questionnaire listing 20 public health strategies was mailed to pre-registrants of an international obesity prevention symposium. Respondents were asked to rate how useful and how feasible they felt each of the listed actions would be for the prevention of obesity in their home countries. The list included education-based strategies aimed at changing individual behaviour as well as more radical measures aimed at reducing population exposure to obesity-promoting factors in the environment. RESULTS: A 32% response was obtained. Education-based strategies were seen to be both useful and feasible. Less confidence was expressed in strategies aimed at changing the environment. CONCLUSION: People working in the obesity field tend to feel most comfortable with education-based prevention strategies. Implementation of environment-based strategies needed to encourage and support behaviour change may require the involvement of people from relevant sectors outside the obesity field.