January 28, 2004 -- Childhood obesity presents serious health risks for U.S. children. In 1999, 13 percent to 14 percent of children ages 6 to 19 were overweight. More shocking, about 60 percent of America’s overweight children are at great risk for serious health problems. For instance, an increasing number of overweight children are developing type 2 diabetes, previously known as adult-onset diabetes.

Many people, especially children, need help losing weight and keeping it off. That’s
why UVa Children’s Medical Center established its new Children’s Fitness Clinic – a comprehensive, team-based approach to provide assessment and individualized treatment plans for overweight children.

Being overweight, says Milagros Huerta, M.D., clinic co-director, “is not a cosmetic
problem, it’s a health problem.”

Overweight children need to make lifestyle changes to ensure they don’t grow up to be overweight adults. The key lies in identifying problems early and then engaging both child and family in changing behaviors, contend Huerta and clinic co-director, John Barcia, M.D.

“Treatment is not complicated. Children need to be motivated to increase their level of physical activity, spend less time watching TV or video games and eat
better,” says Huerta. “What makes our clinic unique is that we offer a multidisciplinary team able to work closely with children and their families to establish behavioral changes. In addition, through referrals to our pediatric specialty clinics, our clinic provides state-of-the-art evaluation and treatment for obesity-related health problems.”

Huerta, who is a pediatric endocrinologist, and Barcia, a pediatric nephrologist, lead a team that includes a nurse practitioner, an exercise physiologist, a nutritionist,
child psychologists and a pediatric surgeon.

Lifestyle Changes

All children entered into the program will be invited to take part in its six-month Intensive Lifestyle Modification Program. This consists of weekly individual and group sessions, including both counseling and exercise, held evenings in the gym at UVa’s Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center.

“We teach parents the principles of behavior modification, including identifying specific goals for change, monitoring progress and setting up a rewards system. We want the child to tell us which goals they want to set,” says Huerta. “Each child will have a calendar to track daily goals such as trying skim milk with meals or increasing exercise by walking to school. Family involvement is an important component to ensure success.”

Children will have an opportunity to meet individually with each team member. If children have obesityrelated health problems, they may be referred to other pediatric specialists in the UVa Children’s Medical Center. If families are unable to
attend the weekly sessions, children will be seen at the clinic for monthly follow-up visits. The team sends progress reports to the family’s primary care physician. To make an appointment, call 434-982-1607.