Curr Pediatr Res 2015; 19 (1&2): 66-72 ISSN 0971-9032 www.currentpediatrics.com Curr Pediatr Res 2015 Volume 19 Issue 1 & 2 66 Are Perceived Skills of Saudi Pediatric Practitioners to Manage Obese Child out of Standard?. Amen Ahmed Bawazir*, Rana Faisal kattan, Manal Saleh Bawazeer, Ghaziaa Mubarak Alanezi, Faisal Hassan Hussain, Bander Hassan Dallak, Khaled M Al-Surimi General Pediatric consultant, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard for Health Affair, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. General Pediatric, Infectious Disease Consultant, Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Abha Medical College. Abha. Saudi Arabia. College of Public Health and Health Informatics, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Introduction Childhood obesity and overweight are one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. Globally in 2010 the number of overweight children under the age of fve is estimated to be 42 million; close to 35 million of them are living in developing countries [1] However, the actual estimated prevalence of overweight and obese children is substantially lower than what is usually reported[2,3]. Overweight and obesity are not a matter of adults only, but boys and girls, children and adolescents have become victims too, with signifcant reported rates [4]. Consequently, it is expected that the rates of coronary artery disease, type 2 DM, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and fatty liver, obstructive sleep apnoea, and certain types of cancer will increase in the coming decades particularly in developing countries [5-9]. Studies of paediatric health care providers and their way of managing obese children show indications of inadequate management in different international settings [10]. Some authors referred it to the inadequate training of the health care providers in the management of obese children or adolescents which further leads to either under- Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the attitude of the health care providers working in main referral hospitals in Riyadh city regarding management of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents and to identify the main barriers of implementing prevention and control program. Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey targeting all paediatric practitioners including paediatric physicians and nurses who were available during the study period. A self-administered questionnaire was used which include demographic characteristics and the measures of attitudes, barriers, information source, previous training, future continuous training about management of obesity and overweight among child and adolescent. Data analysis was performed using SPSS package. Results: fndings showed that most physicians and nurses reported that childhood overweight and obesity are important public health problems and needs proper management (67.5%- 76.5%) and considered as a future chronic disease risk (71.1%, 73.0%) that would affect the future quality of life (85.0%, 73.9%). Paediatricians were less likely to report low profciency in behavioural management, providing guidance in parenting techniques and in addressing family conficts (32.4%, 34.3, 37.8%, respectively); For nurses, very low profciency were also reported in almost all the statements related to perceived skills, ranging from 8.5% to 17.6%, with a signifcant differences in profciency when compared between paediatricians and nurses (p<0.05). Conclusion: The study fndings might help to identify several areas to be improved in promoting engagement of health care professionals in managing overweight and obesity among children. Raising burden of overweight and obesity require integration and collaboration between different key partners to empower direct role of health care providers at health care settings. Abstract Keywords: Obesity, overweight, childhood, adolescents, Paediatrician, Saudi Arabia Accepted November 27, 2015