Children's Health

Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Tackles Childhood Obesity with Multidisciplinary Intervention

Healthy Weight Center Made Possible Through Philanthropy

Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is launching a new program to provide a medically focused, research-based approach to prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. The Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Healthy Weight Center will open in April 2010. The hospital is also one of 16 hospitals selected by the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) to participate in a national collaborative to develop guidelines for hospital-based pediatric clinical obesity programs. 

“With one-third of children in America overweight, the impact on health and health care costs is just beginning to unfold,” said Tom Peterson, MD, medical director, quality, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. “For the first time in history children are expected to have a shorter lifespan than their parents due to complications from obesity.”

Qualifications and Program

Children must be at or above the 95th percentile of body mass index based on their age and gender to qualify for the program. Patients must be referred by their primary care physicians.
Patients and families will work with a multidisciplinary team of physicians, dietitians, exercise physiologists and psychologists to complete a two-part initial exam. A complete physician exam and medical history will be taken. The assessment looks at the barriers keeping children from a healthy, active lifestyle. The initial assessments also include nutritional, physical activity and behavioral evaluations to help the team create an individualized plan for each family.

Some children will participate in weekly classes created by Healthy Weight Center staff, which will be held at the David D. Hunting YMCA in Grand Rapids. The children participate in physical activity while the parents meet with social workers, psychologists, exercise physiologists, dietitians and social workers to discuss creating an environment for success for their children.

Physical activity, nutrition and behavior plans will be closely supervised and coordinated by the clinical staff, working with the family to provide tools for use at home and during daily living.

Innovative techniques will measure participants’ activity and exertion levels. New technology will include an armband that precisely measures a child’s movement during the day. Advanced resources offer the dual benefits of motivating kids to do their best while providing important tracking of their progress.

Body weight won’t be the sole focus or only measure of success. Patients will be monitored regularly for improvement in several areas of health. Progress measures and clinical consultations will provide:

  • Healthy weight loss or weight maintenance 
  • Cardiovascular fitness assessments
  • Increase in daily physical activity over a sustained period of time
  • Consistently improved nutritional intake
  • Reduction of incidence of associated conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes
  • Improved quality of life and self-image

Joe Eisenmann, PhD, assistant professor of Kinesiology, Pediatrics and Human Development at Michigan State University will direct the research component of the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Healthy Weight Center. Research conducted by the Healthy Weight Center staff is anticipated to help delineate the causes and impact of childhood overweight and obesity, and measure results. Dr. Eisenmann has published nearly 100 papers on topics related to childhood obesity, including studies of genetics, physical activity, diet and other lifestyle factors influencing obesity.

“Children’s hospitals have a commitment to gather more evidence on effective ways to treat childhood weight issues,” said Bob Connors, MD, president, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. “We face a problem that, if not addressed, will mean dire consequences for millions of kids down the road. The center will allow the hospital to take a leadership role in addressing one of the most significant epidemics of our time.”

Approximately 200 children will be enrolled during the first year and more than 350 annually by 2012. Start-up funds for the program are being provided by the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation primarily through funds raised from the Spectrum Health Gala on April 24, 2010. Purchase tickets by calling 616.391.2000 or visiting devoschildrens.org/give.

“The role of a children’s hospital in the prevention and treatment of pediatric obesity is becoming increasingly clear as the epidemic progresses,” said Bill Stratbucker, MD, pediatrician and medical director, Healthy Weight Center. “While obesity is a multi-faceted societal issue, there is a clear role to play in the clinical assessment and treatment of obesity both within the primary care setting and within a comprehensive children’s hospital. We must realize obesity is a disease, not a character flaw.”

Statistics and Consequences

Michigan

  • Michigan is among the most obese states in the country; 29 percent of adults are obese.
  • Between 1980 and 2004, the prevalence of obesity in children increased from 6.5 percent to 18.8 percent.

Nationally

  • Experts predict that by 2020, approximately 15 million U.S. children will be considered obese.
  • At the current rate, a third to half of the children born in the 21st century will become diabetics.
  • Obese children suffer from medical complications that were once only common in adults, like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, joint problems, sleep apnea, metabolic syndrome and high cholesterol.
  • Poor diet combined with lack of physical activity is now considered the second leading cause of preventable death, behind tobacco use, in the United States.

Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, a member of Spectrum Health, is a Grand Rapids-based hospital serving children throughout Michigan. A teaching hospital, it includes more than 150 pediatric specialty physicians with specialized training in providing medical and surgical care to children in more than 40 pediatric specialties. Visit devoschildrens.org to learn more or devoschildrens.org/2011 to learn about the new hospital opening in 2011.