Table 3.

Enablers, barriers and resources for parent engagement in health behaviour change

Enablers of parent engagement in behavioural change	Barriers to engaging parents in behavioural change
· Collaborative, whole of agency approach	· Delayed response to identification of issues
· Recognition of mutual expertise	· Feelings of isolation or victimisation
· Belief that parents are trying their best	· Fear of being labelled a ‘bad parent’
· Target various stages of readiness to change	· Fear of failure
· Importance of ‘engaging’ parents	· Parents unaware of consequences of behaviours
· Multi component strategies, multiple referral methods	· Parents ambivalent to change own behaviours
· Low level interventions for simple behavioural change	· Inadequate time allowance between exposure and expected adoption of health behaviour change
· Encourage authoritative parenting
· Normalise parenting support
Enablers of optimal child feeding and childhood nutrition	Perceived barriers to optimal child feeding (parent cited)
· Role modelling healthy eating habits	· Lack of information about overcoming fussy eating Inadequate communication about nutrition from childcare Impact of food marketing Poor food availability and confusion about food labelling
· Involvement of children in food preparation
· Availability of reputable resources in the public domain
· Early intervention and a theoretical basis for programs	· Food used as a reward despite parent knowledge
· Universal interventions for less severe needs,	· Perceived lack of appropriate nutrition resources
· Parents receptive to/capable of behavioural change	· Need for ‘one stop shop’
· Targeting parenting skills in addition to nutrition	· Need for user friendly resources related to healthy eating
· Programs that encourage authoritative parenting styles, with or without a nutrition or child feeding focus
· Multifaceted and community wide programs
Effective health education resource/strategy components	Ineffective health education resource/strategy components
· Educational home visits or telephone education	· Printed materials of limited value
· ‘Parents as teachers’ model	· Didactic approach to teaching
· Resources that are socially and culturally appropriate	· Lack of consideration for adult learning principles
· Educational resources need to be reading age appropriate	· Poor training of educators to work parents in paediatrics
· Web resources to replace face-to-face education	· Resources not appropriate for target group
· Ensure ample ‘dosage’ of technology resources
· Use of internet for rural participants
· Optimal balance of regulation, legislation and education