Make the Diagnosis Spring 2024

A 5-year-old girl comes in for her annual checkup with her mother and 3 younger sisters. The child’s body mass index is in the 93rd percentile, and her BMI has increased exponentially over time. The family has screened positive as being food insecure. When asked if the child is “eating a balanced diet,” her mother says she tries but identifies 3 obstacles she faces consistently:

•  “Healthy” food is expensive, and the family has a low income.

•  It’s difficult to spend much time cooking “from scratch” with 4 young children needing her attention.

•  The girls’ father brings home a lot of junk food and fast-food meals, sabotaging her efforts to limit those types of foods in the house.

Given the family’s situation, what 3 pieces of advice would you give the mother?