 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Luke Beno, MD, Southwood Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, 2400 Mount Zion Parkway, Pediatrics Department, Jonesborough, GA 30236, 770-603-3604, luke.beno@kp.org and Josephine W. Hinchman, MPH, Prevention and Health Promotion, Kaiser Permanente, 3495 Piedmont Road, NE, Building 9, Atlanta, GA 30305.
There are nearly twice as many overweight children today as there were in 1980; yet there is little literature on effective improvements in clinical services to address pediatric overweight. Health care professionals have reported low-proficiency in assessment and management of pediatric overweight, yet have few opportunities to learn the most current assessment and management techniques for pediatric overweight. Effective training opportunities that can impact the delivery of clinical services for pediatric overweight will help to resolve a public health challenge that is reaching epidemic proportions.
Our study developed and evaluated a Pediatric Overweight Assessment and Management training designed to improve the skills of health care professionals and the processes of pediatric health care delivery. The Pediatric Overweight Assessment and Management training introduces the latest research evidence and the CDC expert recommendations for the assessment and management of pediatric overweight. Two training modules address 1) assessment and 2) management of overweight in pediatrics. Supportive, user-friendly tools were developed to reinforce the messages of the intervention. Specifically, the training equips health care professionals with tools for assessing overweight, reviewing patient's lifestyle characteristics and prescribing realistic, family-oriented, behavior change goals.
A control trial was initiated to evaluate the effectiveness of the training. The training is being implemented for all clinicians and staff (N=129) of the pediatric health care teams of Kaiser Permanente Georgia, where care is provided to approximately 75,600 children and adolescents of metro-Atlanta. Pediatric health care teams are assigned to treatment or control groups; all members of the pediatric health care teams are invited to participate in the research. The treatment group will receive the training in phase 1 (Nov - Dec 02) and the control group during phase 2 (Feb - March 03). Measurement consists of pre and post chart abstractions and self-report surveys for the purposes of assessing the effects of the training on:
· Attitudes regarding pediatric overweight assessment and management,
· Self-efficacy for assessing and managing pediatric overweight,
· Utilization of pediatric assessment and management techniques and tools.
Data from baseline and 3 and 6-months are used to compare longitudinal and intervention effects between treatment and control groups. The presentation will focus on study conclusions from phases 1 and II, including pre and post self-report survey and chart abstraction results.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Pediatrics, Obesity
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employment