Pediatricians Lack Expertise for Helping Obese Kids: Survey
Many overweight kids don't get adequate treatment because many pediatricians and other health workers lack expertise in helping them slim down, a new survey suggests.
Pediatricians and nurse practitioners say they need more training to overcome weight-loss obstacles including a lack of patient motivation, insurance and parental involvement, according to the survey.
The eight-page 1999 survey involved 940 pediatricians, pediatric nurse practitioners and dietitians nationwide and is part of an effort by the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau to examine the growing problem of obesity in children and to assess how doctors are dealing with it. Reports on it are published in a supplement to the July issue of Pediatrics, the Associated Press reports.
More than a third of pediatricians surveyed said they had low proficiency in behavior management techniques to help patients lose weight; 25 percent said they lacked expertise in getting parents to help their children lose weight, and almost 20 percent said they were ill-equipped to help patients gain a more active lifestyle.