Nemours’ Weight Management specialists provide evaluation and treatment of children who are either overweight or obese.
A child’s weight issues are often the result of many factors. Children with overweight and obesity may have medical, behavioral, and genetic factors that make them more likely to gain weight.
Our program is focused on helping your family adopt long-term, sustainable lifestyle changes that can lead to significant improvements in your child’s health and well being. For example, encouraging smaller food portions, increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables, replacing screen time with physical activity, and drinking water instead of sugary drinks are all huge steps on the road to combating obesity.
We use a team approach to helping your child and family make these changes. Our team members may include doctors, nurses, registered dietitians, exercise specialists, and behavioral health experts, all of whom have special expertise in weight management issues.
An initial medical and lifestyle evaluation will be part of every child’s participation in clinic. We will also evaluate your child for any weight-related medical problems, which may include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, orthopedic problems, and pre-diabetes. Sometimes, medication is necessary to help manage these conditions.
A personalized plan will then be developed in consultation with the team. Some of the services we offer include:
Outpatient & Specialty Diagnostic and Treatment Services
- consultations with our doctors, registered dietitians, exercise specialists (exercise physiologists and/or physical therapists), and psychologists, as well as others who can help to identify the best methods for improving your child’s healthy habits
- after-hours weight management support groups, including programs to address your child’s physical, nutritional, emotional, social, and behavioral needs:
- group exercise
- cooking and nutrition courses
- family parenting and coping skills
- behavioral and psychological assessment, if appropriate:
- motivational interviewing (which helps us address your child’s willingness to change behaviors)
- behavior-based goal setting (which allows your child to set realistic, attainable goals in order to maintain motivation)
- negotiating healthy behaviors (efforts to elicit the behaviors your child is willing to work on)
- related subspecialty care for more complex cases, including:
- gastroenterology (digestive health)
- endocrinology (hormones and growth)
- cardiology (heart care)
- pulmonology (lung care)
- orthopedics (bone and joint care)
- nephrology (kidney care)
Inpatient Diagnostic and Treatment Services
- adolescent (weight loss surgery to reduce the size of the stomach) for children who are severely obese and meet certain diagnostic criteria
- post-bariatric surgery rehabilitation
- long-term behavioral and psychological support
At Nemours, your child will be given an individualized plan for success. And because our various experts are all under one roof, we make it easy and convenient to monitor your child’s progress and provide the education and support your family needs. We actively involve parents in our treatment programs because we know that your child’s healthy weight is more than just a number on a scale; it’s about successfully managing a medical condition, finding ways to deal with difficult emotional issues, and learning – or in some cases, relearning – healthy approaches to food, eating, and exercise that will last a lifetime.