Health and Fitness

December 11, 2007

Kaiser Permanente, Discovery Health Launch "Healthy Steps to Treating Childhood Obesity" Program

Kaiser Permanente and Discovery Health's Continuing Medical Education program will jointly present an educational program Dec. 16 to teach physicians and healthcare professionals about childhood obesity and how to prevent and treat it.

"Healthy Steps to Treating Childhood Obesity" will air at 9 a.m. Eastern and Pacific times on the Discovery Health cable channel. It also will air several times in 2008.

One in every four American children is overweight or obese, according to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a consequence, weight-related type 2 diabetes and other conditions previously considered to be adult problems are now emerging in children.

Highlights of the "Healthy Steps to Treating Childhood Obesity" program include:

• Recommendations to prevent obesity in children, including age-appropriate physical activity and recommendations for a healthy diet.
• New weight classifications for at-risk or overweight children including recommended screening procedures and appropriate medical tests for the onset of conditions like diabetes and glucose intolerance.
• Recommendations for individualized counseling techniques with sensitivities to cultural values or stigma.
• Behavior modification strategies that emphasize the level of family involvement as a key indicator of success.

Consult your local television listings for program times and dates.
For more about the program, read this news release and view Discovery Health CME’s website.