The prevalence of obesity is increasing. The potential for allied health professionals to intervene through the provision of lifestyle advice is unknown. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices of health professionals in the provision of dietary and physical activity advice for clients with overweight or obesity. Dietitians, exercise physiologists, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and psychologists (n = 296) working in New South Wales were surveyed using paper-based and online methods. The majority of health professionals (71%) believed that providing weight management advice was within their scope of practice; 81% provided physical activity advice but only 57% provided dietary advice. Other than dietitians, few had received training in client weight management during their professional qualification (14%) or continuing education (16%). Providing dietary advice was associated with: believing it was within their scope of practice (OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.9-7.9, p < 0.01), training during their entry-level qualification (OR 7.2, 3.2-16.4, p < 0.01) and having departmental guidelines (OR 4.7, 2.1-10.9, p < 0.01). Most health professionals are willing to provide lifestyle advice to clients with overweight or obesity but few have received required training. Developing guidelines and training for in client weight management may potentially impact on rising obesity levels.
Keywords: allied health; diet; health behaviour; health promotion; obesity; physical activity; weight management.