Developing training on food and fitness for professionals who work with young people is a key recommendation in the consultation, launched last week.
From September 2005, the post-graduate training of primary health care professionals will include modules in nutrition, which will have a component on children's needs.
But it is crucial for GPs to also receive training, said Dr David Tuthill, a consultant paediatrician with an interest in nutrition and allergies at University Hospital Wales. "In terms of training, doctors don't get very much on nutrition. The theory is easy - eat less and do more exercise.
But the details of practical advice, such as what foods are best to match the calorie count for a child of five, is harder," he says, "and at the moment there's no reason why a health professional should know this."
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