Supporting adolescents with dietary change for weight management: exploring perspectives of specialist services

Adolescents (10 – 19 years) with obesity and associated comorbidities are referred to hospital weight management services for specialist input from multidisciplinary teams. This thesis explores adolescents', parents', and clinicians' experiences of specialist care in Australia and identifies opportunities to innovate care. This thesis highlights adolescents' and families' perceptions of their care, alongside enablers and barriers to sustainable diet and lifestyle change. Research methods to develop programs and strategies to support adolescents to achieve their health goals are described. Tailoring services to meet adolescents' and families' needs will help to ensure the relevance and acceptability of specialist services for adolescents with complex health needs.