Pediatric Obesity Care Program
If your child is struggling with excess weight or health issues related to it, the pediatric obesity care program at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois can help.
Our team at Healthy Kids U (HKU) cares about more than just the number on the scale. Our experts work with your child and family to look at all parts of your child’s health. They find out why your child might be gaining extra weight, including genetic conditions, how they eat, sleep habits, exercise, and social life and feelings. We strive to support children of different body sizes in achieving long-term health and confidence.
What is Healthy Kids U?
HKU is a special program for kids and teens ages 2 to 18. It uses proven methods to assess and treat obesity and other health conditions. Our team of experts works with your family and your child’s health providers to make a plan. This plan helps your child build healthy habits, stay emotionally well, and maintain a healthy metabolism in the long run.
How We Support Your Child
Our team helps your child develop healthy habits that can last. We offer support based on what your child needs, such as:
- Advice on eating healthy and having a good relationship with food
- Emotional and mental health support
- Help from social workers for any extra needs
- Referrals for metabolic surgery if needed
- Teaching about good nutrition and planning meals
- Tips for better sleep and activity plans suited to your child’s abilities
- Treatment with medications for obesity when necessary
We also stay in touch with your child’s primary care doctor and specialists to make sure their care plan is coordinated.
What to Expect at Your First Visit
At your first appointment, you and your child will meet with a pediatric doctor or nurse practitioner. The visit will last about 45 to 60 minutes. During this time, you'll talk about what you and your child hope to achieve and what concerns you have. We will try to find out what might be causing your child’s extra weight and health problems. Using this information, we will work together to make a personalized plan that may include:
- Connecting you to other social and health-promoting services in your community
- Encouraging healthy relationships with food
- Further testing, such as genetic testing, sleep studies or other blood work
- Managing structured and balanced eating habits
- Nutrition education and meal planning
- Options for medication treatment
- Sleep hygiene and physical activity plans tailored to your child’s abilities
- Tips for establishing healthy family routines
- Tools for managing emotions and psychological support
Meet Your Care Team
Our team helps identify the causes of your child’s health problems. Together, we make a plan that is personal and doable. We help your child create new habits for eating, sleeping, moving and staying positive to support long-term health.
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Get Started with Healthy Kids U
Ask your child’s primary care provider for a referral to Healthy Kids U. Need a primary care provider? Browse our directory.
