Staff who advise people on diet, weight and activity – both inside and outside the NHS – need appropriate training, experience and enthusiasm to motivate people to change. Some will need general training (for example, in health promotion), while those who provide interventions for obesity (such as dietary treatment and physical training) will need more specialised training. In the recommendations, the term ‘specific’ is used if the training will be in addition to staff’s basic training. The term ‘relevant’ is used for training that could be part of basic professional training or in addition to it.