Authors
Emma Schwartzkoff, Kerith Duncanson, Andrew Bailey, Georgina Williams, Tracy Burrows
Published in
Families, systems & health : the journal of collaborative family healthcare. Aug 17, 2026. Epub Aug 17, 2026.
Abstract
Brief intervention frameworks can support health professionals to motivate patients to adopt lifestyle changes. In New South Wales, Australia, health services use the 5As (ask, assess, advise, assist, and arrange) framework to address unhealthy lifestyles and overweight and obesity in children. This study assessed health professionals' adherence to the 5As framework and factors influencing families' perceptions and propensity to adopt lifestyle changes.
This observational, cross-sectional study analyzed data from electronic medical records and caregiver surveys from a regional health service in New South Wales, Australia, over 12 months from June 2022 to May 2023.
Of n = 461 caregivers who completed valid surveys, 64.9% reported their child received a growth assessment, but only 6.3% received the full 5As framework. Children under 4 years, those attending a community health service, and those with a healthy weight were most likely to receive the complete 5As framework. In contrast, children over 13 years, those attending an emergency department and those with obesity were least likely. Reported adherence with the 5As framework influenced caregivers' perceptions and reported intervention impact.
Children routinely received growth assessments, but many families did not receive subsequent steps of the 5As framework. Improving health professional adherence to the framework is necessary for promoting behavior change. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
PMID:
42606853
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 18 Aug 2026.
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