Pediatric Obesity Interventions: February 2012

About This Blog

In working with an obese adult population for over 7 years, I observed that very few health care providers feel comfortable discussing a patient’s weight status. Some providers I’ve observed, tell patients to “lose weight” as they are exiting the exam room. Health care providers are in a unique position to counsel and guide patients in their weight loss journey, especially pediatric patients and their families. Families look to primary care providers for direction about weight management.

Under the new Affordable Health Care Act, counseling for obesity prevention and treatment is covered at 100% as a preventative service.

I created these modules as a resource for providers to use in their office in the prevention, management, and counseling of overweight and obese pediatric patients. Each module contains a guide for the provider, educational handouts for the patient, and scholarly articles that help the provider navigate the educational process.

These modules are in no way comprehensive of the information available about pediatric obesity, but they offer providers a place to start in combating the national epidemic of childhood obesity.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Group Class 1: Mindless Eating

One of the greatest downfalls of weight loss is mindless eating. Extra calories add up over time and equal additional pounds. Researcher, Dr. Brian Wansink developed a lab at Cornell University to track eating habits over time. The lessons he learned were published in the book Mindless Eating. He found several strategies that if we become aware of them, can help us eat less. His research is fascinating and before teaching this class, I highly recommend a reading (or at least skimming) of his book Mindless Eating.

Mindless Eating Power Point Outline
Mindless Eating Handout
Mindless Eating Website

Group Class 2: Making Wise Food Choices

Very often, planning ahead is the key to making wise food choices. Parents can help children make healthy choices with some planning ahead and forethought. The purpose of this class is to help children and their parents identify healthy choices for snacking, eating out, and celebrations. These occasions can be difficult to navigate for the family that is trying to make healthy lifestyle changes. This class gives participants solutions and opportunities for success when the occasions arise.

The suggestion for this class is to involve parents, and is best done in a setting with 10-16 participants.