Quality Reports - Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Center
NEW KidsTM Program
Why we measure it - Obesity is a national epidemic, affecting younger and younger children each year. Currently, 61 percent of children ages 5-10 years have one risk factor for heart disease, and 27 percent have two risk factors. Other serious medical problems also result from being overweight.
What this means - Over the past 10 years, the number of overweight and obese children has risen dramatically. The increased weight that children and adolescents carry puts them at risk for developing a wide range of serious medical problems, including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver disease and many others. While genetics plays a role in a person's weight, genetics alone cannot explain the dramatic increases that are shown. Much of the reason for these increases is due to less physical activity, more sedentary lifestyles, highly sweetened beverages and poor nutrition overall.
About the data - The data for the above graph comes from the Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System, a child-based public health surveillance system produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Related dimensions of care:
 
What we're doing to provide the best care:
- We offer the largest program to address overweight in children in the U.S. with our NEW (Nutrition, Exercise and Weight Management) KidsTM Program.
- We meet with each patient as a interdisciplinary team to address all of a child's needs. Our core team of specialists include a nurse, nurse practitioner, psychologist, dietitian, exercise physiologist, physical therapist and physician. We include other Children's Hospital specialists as needed to address side effects of overweight, including cardiologists, hepatologists, endocrinologists, orthopedic surgeons, pulmonologists, adolescent medicine and psychiatrists.
- We developed 3-2-1-0 Blastoff to a Healthier Family, a healthy lifestyle and weight management program for primary care providers.
- Through our Children's Health Education Center, we developed 3-2-1-0 Blastoff to a Healthier Family. The program includes a health assessment, games for kids and materials to help families get started on a healthier lifestyle.
- Since exercise is a key component of our program we partner with the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee to provide a community-based opportunity for exercise and lifestyle change through NEW Kids at the Y.
- NEW Kids does not use one program for every family. Each child is unique and comes with varying levels of resources and commitment. Our treatment is developed to match each child and family situation and goal.
- We publish an e-newsletter for health care professionals. To subscribe, e-mail NEWKids@chw.org.
- Bariatric surgery using gastric banding is available for select patients already enrolled in NEW Kids.
Patients/Families:
- Be an advocate for your child. Provide any information about your child that may be helpful to staff.
- Ask questions if you don't understand the plan of care or if you are not sure how to care for your child at home.
- Attend all follow-up appointments.
- Work with your child's primary care physician on the full plan and follow-up recommendations.
Physicians:
If you have questions about this data or information, e-mail us or call (414) 266-6726.
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