Help Your Child on the Path to a Healthy Lifestyle
Obesity in children has been rising over the years. Children who are overweight or obese are at increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver, and other complications. If your child is overweight or obese, NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital both offer special programs to help him or her achieve and maintain a healthy weight now, while they are young. Our goal is to get them on the path to a healthy lifestyle, reducing their risk of the complications that can develop in children who are overweight.
About Our Programs
NewYork-Presbyterian's weight management programs for children and adolescents include:
The Adolescent POWER (Program for Overweight Education and Reduction) Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, which provides children and adolescents with initial medical, psychosocial, and nutritional evaluations and the option to participate in either group or individual treatment programs.
The Kids and Teens Healthy Weight Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital, which encourages healthy lifestyle choices, such as healthy eating, healthy cooking, and exercise. We offer individual and group discussions on nutrition and physical activity through hands-on activities and sessions with families.
Adolescent bariatric (weight loss) surgery programs are available at both hospitals for teens age 15-18 who are severely obese and cannot lose weight through other means.
Weight loss surgery for adolescents
Weight loss surgery for obese adolescents not only helps teens lose weight, but improves their health. This approach may be an option for adolescents with:
- Body mass index (BMI) over 40
- BMI over 35 plus other significant medical problems such as insulin resistance, hypertension (high blood pressure), irregular periods, joint pain, fatty liver disease, or other conditions associated with their obesity
Patients in these programs undergo a health and metabolic screening, receive nutritional guidance and education, and participate in individualized exercise programs. The surgery is done laparoscopically (through small incisions). We provide long-term follow-up care to help your child stay on the path to good health.
Our Approach to Care
We assess not only your child's weight, but overall health, dietary behaviors, and personal preferences so we can tailor a plan of care with the best chance of helping him or her achieve a healthy weight. Our pediatric weight management teams include experts in pediatric gastroenterology, endocrinology, obesity medicine, nutrition, psychiatry, surgery, and other specialties.
How we treat childhood and adolescent obesity
The goal of our programs is to improve your child's present and future health. We offer:
- A weight management plan tailored to your child's needs and preferences
- One-stop access to pediatric board-certified medical and surgical subspecialists as needed
- Screening and management of complications of obesity, such as diabetes and liver disease
- Counseling and management of children who are at risk for obesity and its possible effects on the heart. Examples include certain genetic syndromes such as Prader-Willi syndrome, patients on certain medications, and children with certain orthopedic or joint conditions that lead to arthritis and reduced physical activity.
Why Choose Us
It takes more than eating less and moving more to lose weight. At NewYork-Presbyterian's children's hospitals, we get to know your child and family so we can develop real solutions to weight loss and enhance your child's health in a supportive, caring, and understanding environment. Our multidisciplinary teams consider all aspects of your child's life when customizing a plan of care. Our centers are among the handful of U.S. centers approved to offer weight loss surgery to obese adolescents. We are part of a consortium of major children's hospitals carefully studying weight loss surgery in very obese adolescents. Call us to schedule a consultation and learn how we can help your child start getting healthier.