Interdisciplinary Management of Pediatric Obesity: Lessons Learned in the Midsouth

The Healthy Lifestyle Clinic (HLC) is an interdisciplinary weight management clinic conceived to address alarming rates of pediatric obesity and related comorbidities in the midsouth region of the United States. The clinical cohort presented is a subset of the 609 patients evaluated during the first 2 years of the HLC and comprises 380 patients with a minimum of 6 months of follow-up. The primarily non-Hispanic black (67.1%) cohort presented with severe obesity (M-zBMI = 2.52 +/- 0.41) and particularly high rates of insulin resistance, among other comorbidities. This article offers insight into the challenges of intervening with a cohort of youth and their families, many with limited resources to support intensive behavioral and lifestyle changes. Our experiences implementing a weight management clinic with a diverse clinical cohort provide guidance for emerging programs and impetus to investigate environmental and cultural factors that contribute to high attrition in the treatment of pediatric obesity.