This post is sponsored by Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only partner with brands we genuinely love.
"Weight can be a sensitive topic at any age for any person. As fellow moms, we understand that this can be a tough subject to approach and navigate with your kids. We also understand the innate need to make sure our children are healthy, happy, and safe. In fact, over 56 percent of parents worry about their child’s weight, so if it’s on your mind, you’re not alone. And between genetics, biological factors, and the modern-day challenges that make living a well-rounded lifestyle difficult, it can feel like an uphill battle to address. The goal of this article is not to shame parents or children but to provide empathetic and reliable medical advice for families who would like to learn about weight management options to improve their child or teen’s health and well-being.
Here at The Everymom, our goal has always been to be a trusted resource through every phase of motherhood—the exciting, the difficult, and the uncertain. To help parents feel more confident about childhood weight and wellness, we connected with top pediatric health professionals at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago to break down treatment options for childhood obesity. Keep reading for their expert-backed insights and recommendations.
Meet the Expert
Dr. Caren Mangarelli
Obesity prevention and treatment specialist, primary care physician for children and teens, and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Meet the Expert
Dr. Thomas Inge, MD, PhD
Surgeon-in-Chief; Chair, Department of Surgery; Director, Adolescent Bariatric Surgery Program
Professor of Surgery (Pediatric Surgery), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Meet the Expert
Dr. Elissa Williams, MS, APRN, CPNP-PC, CBN
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Certified Bariatric Nurse, Adolescent Bariatric Surgery and Wellness & Weight Management Programs
Why is early intervention important for childhood weight management?
If you are concerned about your child’s weight, the American Academy of Pediatrics encourages taking action during childhood when there is a better chance of preventing or improving the associated health conditions. Not only is obesity linked to long-term health issues like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and an increased risk for other chronic diseases, but it also takes a toll on a child’s and an adolescent’s mental health. In a survey conducted by Lurie Children’s, 34 percent of parents with overweight children worry about their child’s mental health, and 12 percent say their child has been bullied because of their weight.
Lurie Children’s pediatric obesity expert Justin Ryder, PhD, stresses that biological and genetic factors contribute to obesity as much as behavior. “I think obesity is highly stigmatized, and there’s a lot of blame placed on kids, parents, caregivers, and grandparents. Obesity is nobody’s fault. It’s a complex interaction of biology and environment, or a gene-environment interaction. And until we start to frame obesity as a disease rather than a behavior, we’re not going to make a dent in treating it or preventing it successfully.“
How Lurie Children’s addresses pediatric weight and wellness:
Since obesity is the most common medical condition that affects a child’s long-term health, Lurie Children’s created a multidisciplinary program that provides patients with comprehensive, non-judgmental obesity care. The Wellness and Weight Management Program is a multidisciplinary approach that promotes sustainable lifestyle changes and offers medical management to optimize a patient’s health and quality of life. Ultimately, their goal is not to improve a patient’s appearance but their overall physical and mental well-being.
Lurie Children’s Pediatric Weight and Wellness team is comprised of physicians, advanced practice nurses, registered dietitians, psychologists, social workers, and bariatric providers to provide holistic treatment plans for their patients. This means they consider every aspect of a patient’s life and well-being when deciding how to proceed with obesity care.
What do pediatric weight management treatment plans look like?
According to Dr. Mangarelli, the team will evaluate a patient’s entire medical history (such as body mass index (BMI), blood screens, a bioelectrical impedance scale, and family genetics) when deciding on a treatment plan. Around 50 percent of a person’s risk for obesity or struggles with weight comes from a mix of genes from both sides of the family, so this is an important factor to consider.
During a patient’s first visit at Lurie Children’s, a physician or advanced practice nurse and a dietitian will complete a thorough medical review and evaluation. They’ll develop goals with the family and provide appropriate referrals to other providers and additional testing as indicated. From that point, patients will have follow-up appointments every one to four months to assess progress and adjust goals.
While lifestyle changes are always part of weight treatment plans, there are other medical options, such as weight management medications and bariatric surgery for pediatric patients who meet established criteria.
Expert-recommended lifestyle and behavioral changes for pediatric weight management:
First and foremost, the providers at Lurie Children’s stress the importance of leading by example and maintaining a supportive home environment. In addition to focusing on eating habits and physical activity, caregivers should ensure children are getting quality sleep and that stress levels are well-managed, as both contribute greatly to a child’s health and weight.
It can be difficult to address weight concerns with children and adolescents in a way that doesn’t hurt their feelings. Dr. Mangarelli recommends focusing on healthy versus unhealthy habits and choices rather than centering discussions around weight or appearance. Provide words of encouragement and praise when children make healthy choices, as opposed to calling out negative behaviors. Oftentimes, the best move is to show them healthy choices through your own behavior. Lurie Children’s provides actionable tips for encouraging healthy eating habits and lifestyle changes here.
Expert-recommended medical treatments for pediatric weight management:
Weight management medications
Anti-obesity medications are a safe and effective way to manage childhood obesity in older kids and adolescents. Dr. Mangarelli shares that these medications often work by influencing metabolism, appetite, and hunger signals.
Bariatric surgery
When medical and behavioral weight loss programs are unsuccessful for adolescents struggling with obesity, bariatric surgery can be an effective treatment. Bariatric surgery can resolve more than 80 percent of weight-related health issues. Patients must meet the following qualifications:
- Must be between 13 and 19
- BMI in the 95th percentile or greater
- Unsuccessful with medically managed weight loss attempts
- Obesity-related medical conditions
- Compliance with rigorous pre- and postoperative dietary, exercise, and medical guidelines
- Understands and agrees with the procedure
- Understands and accepts lifelong commitment to care after surgery
- Has family support and realistic expectations of weight loss results
- While there is no established lower age limit, most patients are 13 years or older
Surgical options
Lurie Children’s Bariatric Surgery Program offers the sleeve gastrectomy procedure, which is considered permanent and requires lifelong follow-up care.
A sleeve gastrectomy helps patients lose weight by reducing the amount of food they can eat, in addition to changing the hunger hormones. Using a laparoscopic approach (tiny incisions), the surgeon removes about 80 percent of the stomach. The remaining portion is a vertical “sleeve” about the size of a banana that is stapled together. This procedure does not affect digestion. Food passes through the digestive tract just as it did before, allowing it to be fully absorbed by the body. Patients typically lose 20 to 30 percent of their weight in the first year after surgery.
Dr. Thomas Inge, Surgeon-in-Chief and Bariatric Surgery Program Director, notes how Lurie Children’s multidisciplinary approach ensures that adolescents are provided with every resource possible to improve their medical health and, ultimately, their overall quality of life. “I think that it’s really important to call out the other part of this that is really impactful: How these teenagers begin to feel in their own skin and how they navigate life after surgery.”
About Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Led by a team of world-renowned pediatric experts, Lurie Children’s is the #1 pediatric hospital in Illinois and an institution we trust for all things kids’ health. With 140 years of clinical expertise, research, and community engagement, the team at Lurie Children’s is committed to putting children and their families at the center of everything they do. We are honored to partner with Lurie Children’s to help educate our readers about how we can help our kids lead a healthier future. Learn more about Lurie Children’s and find a doctor near you today!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steph Alleva Cornell, Branded Content Editor
Since becoming a young mama in 2020, Steph has found joy in creating beautiful yet relatable content surrounding the raw realities of motherhood. As Branded Content Editor at The Everymom, she produces authentic content for our sponsors and ensures that our brand values and reader’s interests are prioritized.
This post is sponsored by Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only partner with brands we genuinely love.