Where we use grassroots and community-based programs to combat pediatric obesity.
Our clients are children from age 6 to 11 and young adults from 12 to 19. Join
Introduction
Pediatric obesity is not a disease but an uncontrolled epidemic--over a quarter of American children are classified as obese. Obesity transcends socioeconomic and cultural differences--it is an American crisis. In recognition of this phenomenon, the Federal government recently released tables charting the increase in children's weight between the 1960s and the 1990s. The Body Mass Index (BMI) used to track obesity was, until recently, only applicable to adults; the index has now been extended to children.
Facing the obesity epidemic, pediatricians, family practitioners, and physicians who treat children and adolescents have been handicapped in their capacity to treat heavily overweight or obese patients. Obese pediatric patients are referred to nutritionists, diet centers, psychologists, and personal trainers or health clubs. None of these programs is interdisciplinary, and none focuses specifically on children or adolescents. No comprehensive programs address the issue as a whole or teach patients the mechanisms to maintain one's weight.
Obesity is treatable. Experience has shown that a multi-disciplinary approach that draws on the expertise of clinicians, and nutritionists can effectively treat obesity. These integrated treatment programs, which encompass the patient, the family, and a peer group, have achieved sustainable results.
