For Providers

 Florida Hospital for Children has developed Healthy 100 Kids, a comprehensive pediatric wellness initiative with the goal of giving kids the best chance of living to a healthy 100. It approaches each aspect of physical and mental wellbeing, not only for children and teens, but also for the family unit when household support is needed to affect change.

As part of Healthy 100 Kids, Florida Hospital for Children launched an initiative specifically geared to the treatment and prevention of childhood obesity. In the last thirty years, the number of children in the United States who are considered overweight or obese has doubled, from 15 percent in the 1970s to nearly 30 percent today. We know we’re not telling you anything new and it’s likely that you have noticed this trend in your practice. The treatment of obesity is one of the most difficult challenges currently facing pediatric primary care providers. It’s an epidemic, it’s a critical issue and it’s putting a major strain on our health care system. In addition to the weight itself, it is the resulting conditions such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, asthma, sleep apnea/sleep-disordered breathing, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, musculoskeletal problems, depression, diabetes, asthma, heart disease and lowered self-esteem that leave the family and child in distress and put a burden on the health care system with life long treatments and medications.

We understand that primary care providers are often discouraged by the scope and magnitude of this refractory health problem (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002), especially because not only is pediatric behavior modification needed, but also parental behavior modification. With so many variables both physical and mental, it’s an uphill battle. Undoubtedly it is going to take a major effort to reverse this trend, but we believe there is no other choice.

In efforts of improving long-term community health, while lowering health care costs, we offer clinical services that have interdisciplinary teams with experience in preventing and treating childhood obesity. As such, we support primary care providers in their children’s wellness prevention approaches and in their efforts to treat children who are overweight with risk factors and/or obesity related health problems.

Healthy 100 Kids Program Expectations

• Improve long-term community health, while lowering health care costs
• Treat obesity and provide obesity interventions objectively through a scientifically/evidence-based approach
• Manage the wellness program effectively through results, outcomes and a longer term commitment to your patients
• Become a leading best practice obesity model for interventions and treatment that is respected by leading consortiums addressing the issue of obesity
• Be a published leader in “partnered” obesity treatment that is research based, data driven and led by experts