Healthy Weight Clinic
About the Clinic
The Healthy Weight Clinic is a clinic for children ages 2 - 18 who are overweight or obese. Our goal is to provide a complete assessment of obesity-related illnesses; help organize care with medical specialists; and provide weight management using a family-based approach.
Our new Arrival / Late Policy
To ensure that our clinic runs smoothly and that we are seeing our patients in a timely fashion, the Healthy Weight Clinic has a new Arrival and Late Policy which will go into effect on Wednesday, September 1, 2010. Please read the policy before coming in for your appointment.
How the Healthy Weight Clinic helps children
The team will work with your family to develop a plan to manage your child’s health and weight tailored to your child and family. After the first visit, we will work together to develop a follow-up plan for your family that will ensure your child meets his or her long-term weight management goals. Most families are expected to follow-up every one to two months at least six visits within a year.
If you are a provider interest in referring patients to the Healthy Weight Clinic, please visit our section under For Healthcare Professionals.
If you are a family interested in visiting the Healthy Weight Clinic or have questions about appointments, please visit our section For Patient and Families.
For more, see our Healthy Weight Clinic Fact Sheet for Families.
How we know if a child is obese
Obesity means an excess amount of body fat. Clinicians use the body mass index (BMI) as a way to identify children and adolescents who are obese or at risk for becoming obese. BMI is a calculation that uses a child's height and weight to estimate how much body fat he or she has. Clinicians will use BMI to determine how appropriate a child's weight is for a certain height and age.
After BMI is calculated for children and teens, the BMI number is plotted on the CDC BMI-for-age growth charts (for either girls or boys) to obtain a percentile ranking. Percentiles are a way of showing how a child's measurements compare with kids the same age and gender. For example, if a child has a BMI in the 60th percentile, 59 percent of kids who are the same age and same gender have a lower BMI.
The Healthy Weight Clinic uses the following weight categories:
| Weight Category | Percentile Range |
|---|---|
| Overweight | 85th to less than the 95th percentile for age and gender |
| Obese | Equal to or greater than the 95th percentile for age and gender |
Contact Us
- 267-426-2782
- Contact Us Online