Whittier’s welcoming setting helps kids reach healthy weight

As director of pediatrics at the Whittier Street Health Center, Dr. Shikha Anand sees many patients that show signs of being what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) call “at risk for overweight.”

In fact, as many as 40 percent of the patients Anand sees are either “at risk for overweight,” meaning that their body-mass index (BMI) is between the 85th and 94th percentiles, or “overweight,” meaning a BMI in the 95th percentile or higher — greater than at least 95 percent of young people the same age and gender.

Anand has a special interest in helping these kids not only get their weight down to a healthy number, but also in teaching children and their parents the importance of learning healthy habits at a young age and the long-term positive impact these habits can have.

Children who are at an unhealthy weight are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, asthma, hypertension, high cholesterol, cardiovascular problems, orthopedic problems and even sleep apnea. Furthermore, these children also have the potential for emotional issues and self-esteem problems, which may affect their decision-making skills well into adulthood. If no lifestyle changes are made, these children are more likely to become overweight adolescents and carry the weight into later years.

Anand becomes particularly alarmed when she sees patients that are at risk for developing a combination of physical and emotional problems. She also believes that this phenomenon is likely to increase with the increasing prevalence of pediatric overweight. Her advice for at risk for overweight children is “to work hard to make lifestyle changes.”

“The most successful changes are sustainable, like eating out less and increasing physical activity on a daily basis. Lifestyle changes are the only evidence-based method for treating this problem,” said Anand. While she said that drug therapy can help, Anand noted that parents should be aware that the long-term effects of such treatment remain to be seen.

Whittier Street Health Center offers numerous programs to help children who are at risk. Anand leads the FANtastic Kids, a program dedicated to helping youth understand the basics of proper nutrition and the negative results of eating unhealthy food. The program also teaches children basic exercises they can do to increase their level of physical activity.

She is also involved with Whittier’s Healthy Weight clinic, available to children and young adults ages 6-21. This program provides access to Whittier’s nutritionist, case managers and lab testing, and uses monthly follow-ups to ensure that children are making the changes needed to control their weight while teaching self-management techniques for children to use at home with their parents.

Anand believes that Whittier is an excellent choice for parents who need help in managing their children’s weight because it provides the aspects needed to treat children in a comfortable, family-oriented, patient-focused and community-based setting, which often relieves the tension parents and children can feel when beginning to address this problem. Also, Whittier’s staff is much more involved with the community, which gives them an understanding of the lifestyles their patients face.

“The doctors at Whittier are trained to make every patient feel comfortable and respected. That goes a long way in addressing the problem of overweight children, and it makes Whittier stand apart from the other options,” said Anand.

For an appointment, please call the Whittier Street Health Center at 617-427-1000.