Press Releases: National
December 11, 2007
Kaiser Permanente and Discovery Health Team Up to Fight Childhood Obesity Epidemic
Educational Program Designed to Assist Doctors and Parents in Prevention and Treatment
OAKLAND, Calif. – Kaiser Permanente and Discovery Health's Continuing Medical Education program have teamed up to launch "Healthy Steps to Treating Childhood Obesity", an educational program designed to instruct physicians and healthcare professionals about childhood obesity and the necessary steps to treat and prevent this epidemic.
The CME program, co-developed by a group of Kaiser Permanente Pediatric experts and Discovery Health CME, will air on Sunday, Dec. 16, at 9 a.m. ET/PT on Discovery Health ,and again several times through 2008.
"Childhood obesity is a multifaceted issue that requires a network of support from families, clinicians and entire communities," said Philip Wu MD, pediatric clinical lead for Kaiser Permanente Care Management Institute's Weight Management Initiative. "Our goal in creating this program is to disseminate evidence-based recommendations to clinicians, who can then encourage families to start making environmental and lifestyle changes to improve the total health of their children."
"Discovery Health CME was pleased to work with Kaiser on this critical issue facing America's children. With our premiere just days after the new, aggressive childhood obesity guidelines were published in Pediatrics, the timing couldn't be better to provide health care providers the information they need in a succinct, engaging format," according to John Whyte, MD, MPH, vice president for Continuing Medical Education at Discovery Health.
Highlights of the CME 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.
Sarah Barlow, MD, MPH, associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and author of new recommendations from an expert committee on the prevention, assessment and treatment of childhood obesity, strongly advocates addressing the problem through community, family, and school-based programs as well as healthcare programs. This broad, multidisciplinary approach is needed to change the behaviors of children and prevent progression to adult obesity and the serious health issues that accompany it.
"Childhood obesity in this country has skyrocketed to 1 in 4 children being overweight or obese. As a result, weight-related type 2 diabetes and other conditions, previously considered to be adult problems, are now emerging in children," Dr. Barlow said. "For the first time in history, life expectancy may be shorter for our children than their parents'. We need to look for new ways to reach out to parents and healthcare professionals to teach lifestyle changes and counseling techniques. This program is an innovative strategy to tackle the problem."
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.
