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Program Teaches Residents to Talk About Obesity


 

A pilot program aimed at teaching residents how to better counsel patients and families about childhood obesity is underway in five California-based residency programs.

The idea is to train pediatric and family medicine residents in strategies that can help patients make behavioral changes proven to reduce and prevent obesity. For example, the program gives the residents tips for helping individuals decrease their consumption of sugary beverages. Residents are armed with handouts on healthy beverage options and a visual aid that shows patients how much sugar is in a soda or sports drink.

The hope is that preparing future primary care physicians to effectively motivate lifestyle changes will help stem the prevalence rates of pediatric obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, Dr. Lydia Tinajero-Deck, the project's principal investigator, said in an interview.

The pilot, dubbed Fit for Residents, was developed by the University of California, Los Angeles, in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians, said Dr. Tinajero-Deck, a pediatrician in the primary care department at Children's Hospital & Research Center in Oakland, Calif.

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