Improving care for children and young people living with excess weight

A suite of universal elearning resources is now available to support professionals working with children and young people living with obesity. The foundation level training can help upskill clinicians working within Complications from Excess Weight (CEW) clinics and enables a standardised approach to service provision across the country.

The online training covers the causes of childhood obesity, the relationship between obesity and mental health, the physical and social complications of obesity, and provides an overview of evidence-based lifestyle changes to form part of a childhood weight management intervention.

Crucially, the training also highlights the importance of non-stigmatising communication and designing compassionate services, to help reduce weight-related bias and stigma. It also highlights solutions that use a family-based, person-centred, behavioural change approach, supporting the modelling of behaviours from parents or carers and the rest of the family.

The high prevalence of childhood obesity is a global public health priority. The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) in England estimated that in 2020/1, 22.2% of reception children, and 37.7% of Year 6 children, were either obese or overweight. Evidence indicates that the risk of anxiety, depression and developing an eating disorder is higher among children and young people living with obesity; and excessive weight also has complications on physical and social factors, such as bullying and social isolation.

The Complications from Excess Weight elearning programme has been created by NHS England in partnership with the British Dietetic Association. It comprises 5 sessions:

1. Introduction to identification of complications associated with excessive weight in children and young people (C&YP).
2. An introduction to understanding different levels of overweight in children and young people living with complications associated with excess weight
3. Connection between severe obesity and mental health
4. Interventions for Childhood Weight Management
5. Prevalence of childhood obesity, influence of social factors including poverty and appropriate safeguarding

The training is aimed primarily at multidisciplinary teams working in Complications from Excess Weight (CEW) services, and staff working with children and young people across health and care.

To find out more and to access the training, please visit the Complications from Excess Weight in Children and Young People elearning programme page.