Background : Obesity Strategy October 2011  ‘ Make Every Contact Count’

1. ‘Making every contact count’: A study design to explore the potential use of oral health services to promote healthy weights in children • Henderson E • (School of Medicine and Health) (e.j.henderson@durham.ac.uk) Background: Obesity Strategy October 2011 ‘Make Every Contact Count’ The Common Risk Factor Approach is recommended in the Oral Health Plan for England to Reduce Health Inequalities It can support Partnership Working, as it is able to address different health problems (e.g obesity and dental caries) by working on a shared risk factor (diet high in sugar) (Figure 1) Roles of dental professionals in obesity interventions have been studied (e.g. Dietary Advice on lowering sugary intake and increasing fruit and vegetable intake)1, 2, 3 However, research into professionals’ and patients’ views on the Appropriateness of Delivering Obesity Interventions in the Dental Practice Setting is scarce Study Aims: To understand children’s and parents’ perspectives of the dietary advice they were given through the oral health promotion programme To determine whether service users and providers consider the dental practice an appropriate setting to promote healthy weights • PCT Project: • By Whom: County Durham Primary Care Trust • Where: 30 dental practices in areas of high deprivation in County Durham and Darlington • What: A programme of practice visits from reception and nursery children (aged 4-5 years) and their teachers and parents. • Why: 1) to help overcome any barriers to access; 2) to prompt families to visit dental practices. • When: March 2011-March 2012 • Study methods: • Semi-structured in-person interviews with up to 30 parents and their children • Focus groups with dental practice staff who took part in the PCT’s programme (n=10) • Invitations to interview will be sent out to families through the schools and nursery centres • Parent consent and child assent will be obtained at time of interview • Descriptive Framework Approach5will be used to make comparisons between interviews and to allow for the exploration of issues of interest as well as allowing for new issues to emerge Figure 2. Study procedure Figure 1. The common risk factor approach4 References: 1. Hisaw T, Kerins C, McWhorter AG, Seale NS (2009) Pediatric Dentistry 31(7):486-491. 2. Huang J, Pokala P, Hill L, Boutelle KN, Wood C, Becerra K, Calfas K (2009) Pediatrics124(5):1438-1446. 3. Stahl CE, Necheles JW, Mayefsky JH, Wright LK, Rankin KM (2011) Clinical Pediatrics50(3):215-224. Contribution: This project was funded by County Durham Primary Care Trust. 4. Sheiham A & Watt RG (2000) Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology28(6):399-406. 5. Ritchie J, Spencer L (1994) Analysing Qualitative Data. London: Routledge.