Changes in nurse practitioners' knowledge and behaviors following brief training on the healthy eating and activity together (HEAT) guidelines.

Introduction: Primary care providers, particularly pediatric nurse practitioners, are an integral force involved in tackling the obesity epidemic among youth. The majority of nurse practitioners, however, report low proficiency regarding their ability to adequately prevent and treat pediatric overweight. In response, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) developed the evidence-based Healthy Eating and Activity Together (HEAT) Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) to improve provider behavior and efficacy.

Parental perceptions of barriers to blood lead testing.

Introduction: This study identified barriers to blood lead testing from the perspective of parents of young children eligible for Medicaid.

Method: Data were gathered from three focus groups. Participants were asked if they were familiar with the dangers of high blood lead levels, rationale for not having a child tested for blood lead, what would facilitate having blood lead testing, and how they wanted to learn about blood lead poisoning.