Poster Produced by Faculty & Curriculum Support, Georgetown University School of Medicine The Unique Implementation of a Childhood Obesity Program In a Federally Qualified Health Center Erica L. McClaskey, MD, MS Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC Purpose A health education survey was distributed to patients at Upper Cardozo Clinic in Washington, DC., to determine the best method of delivering health information. Respondents indicated information provided by medical professionals that incorporated exercise and food demonstrations would be most helpful. We Can! 2 (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition) is a nationally recognized program selected as the base curriculum. Additional partners included the local YMCA which led exercise lessons for the children, and the Diabetic Research and Wellness Center who provided monetary support for snacks and dinners. Adult yoga classes were designed to introduce families to alternative methods of physical activity. Background Implementation and Program Design Results Conclusions and Future Work Acknowledgments Kathy Gold, RN, Kim Bullock, MD, James Welsh, MD, Unity Health Care Georgetown University Since the pilot program, over 150 patients have participated in the program accumulating 400 visits. Both children and adult visits are coded, and vitals, body mass index (BMI) and health knowledge is recorded. Expansion of the program to other Unity Health Care sites is planned for the near future. The success of the program is directly related to the all-inclusive model of the medical home. The program comprises elements of the community, family and medical support to address the comprehensive challenge of obesity in an economically disadvantaged population. Survey results indicated a positive response from both groups in learning healthy food choices, and the importance of regular exercise. Program participants sited companionship, safety of the location, and opportunities to discuss lessons with family members as reasons to continue with the program. The escalating obesity epidemic in the U.S. is multi-factorial. 1 Children in poverty stricken locations face monetary restrictions and environmental challenges that prohibit change. To address the barriers facing primary care providers who promote healthy lifestyle changes to families in impoverished communities, an innovative educational program was designed using the medical homes concept. The program sought to provide a safe, convenient environment for overweight children ages 7-13 and their families to learn healthy eating choices, and promote physical activity under the guidance of primary care providers. The program was designed to run in the clinic after hours, once a week in four week cycles with both youth and adult sessions running simultaneously. All sessions began with a healthy family dinner and discussions about barriers to exercise and eating healthy during the week.  Youth Sessions: Lessons regarding healthy food choices, taste testing or food identification. Exercises led by YMCA instructor. Prizes were given to youth at the completion of each session.  Adult Sessions: Yoga Lessons regarding food preparation, proportion sizes, food selections and options. All lessons were given in English and Spanish. The names of each participant were recorded and forms returned to the patient chart for follow up with the primary care provider. Post program surveys were distributed to both youth and adults. 1.Ogden, C. JAMA, 2002;288: We Can! TM U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes of Health. Providers and Staff Members: All members of the clinic were encouraged and trained to be facilitators of the youth and adult sessions through meetings, fliers and reminders. Incentives were given to refer patients to the program at the time of visit. The amount of referrals per provider was provided via . Referral forms with contact numbers were collected weekly and patients were contacted to confirm attendance. References