Respectful, Evidence-Based Care for Children with Elevated BMI

About This Webinar:

According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data, one in five children struggle with obesity, and only two in five young adults are weight eligible and physically prepared for basic training.  This webinar reviews the evidence surrounding care for children with elevated BMI from both a nutrition and mental and behavioral health perspective. The impact of weight bias, stigma, and mental health sequelae are also addressed.  Join this webinar for guidance for addressing social determinants of health including food insecurity as well as nutrition counseling concepts and practical guidance for care.

Objectives:

1. Describe weight bias and understand how this and other structural inequalities impact pediatric health and healthcare.
2. Understand the interconnected impacts of mental health and physical health.
3. Identify key tenants of weight-inclusive vs. weight-normative care approaches and what current research states about each.
4. Integrate evidence-based practices into caring for higher-weight pediatric patients from a whole child perspective.

Food Security in Focus

Food The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Develpment Flickr

Take advantage of OneOp’s Food Security in Focus collection, offering live and on-demand programming related to food security. 

Among our nation’s active-duty service members and their families, an estimated 24 percent are food insecure. Food insecurity adversely impacts racial/ethnic minority populations, lower-income populations, and rural and remote populations. Additionally, a rise in economic insecurity throughout the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to increased food insecurity in vulnerable populations. Join OneOp as we focus on expanding food security for the military family and mobilizing family service professionals at federal, state, and local levels to work together on this issue.

Food Security in Focus

Presenters

Ashleigh Spitza, MS, RD, CD, CDCES

Clinical Dietitian

Children’s Wisconsin

Ashleigh is a pediatric clinical dietitian currently leading an integrated clinical nutrition pilot program in the primary care setting at Children’s Wisconsin. This program utilizes a weight-inclusive, family-centered approach to care.  She has eight years of clinical experience as a RDN in pediatric nutrition care, including diabetes education, GI, and lifestyle medicine. Ashleigh’s focus is on providing respectful care that supports health and behavior change for families of children on the higher end of the BMI spectrum.

Raquel Ward, LPC

Racquel Ward, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor & Behavioral Health Consultant

Children’s Wisconsin

Racquel is a behavioral health consultant in a pediatric primary care setting.  Her goal is to provide behavioral and mental health care and support for families to help children and families live healthy lives. Raquel enjoys providing behavioral health consults in the pediatric care setting as it offers a team approach for patients and families to receive early interventions and immediate access to mental health services, and it also helps incorporate behavioral and mental health concerns as a part of routine overall health care which improves quality of life outcomes.

Continuing Education (CE) Credit

Continuing Education

• Registered Dietitians: This webinar is approved for 1.0 CPEU from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) for RDNs and NDTRs.
• Social Workers, Licensed Professional Counselors, and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists: Programming approval for 1.0 CE credits will be obtained for Social Work, LPCs, and LMFTs from the University of Texas at Austin, Steve Hicks School of Social Work. Check with your state licensing agency for reciprocity and/or credit approval if licensed for other professions or in one of the following states: CO, FL, HI, IA, KS, KY, MI, NY, ND, OH, OK. **Note: Eligibility for CE credit expires on August 17, 2025.
• Case Managers:  Case Management Continuing Education Credits from the Commission for Case Manager Certification are no longer available for this webinar. However, please click the button above to complete an evaluation to give us your feedback.
• Certified Family Life Educators: This program is approved by the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) for 1.0 CE credit for CFLEs. **Note: Eligibility for CE credit expires on August 17, 2028. 
• Board Certified Patient Advocates: This program is approved by The Patient Advocate Certification Board to provide CE credit to Board Certified Patient Advocates (BCPA). This webinar offers a total of 1.0 CE contact hours, of which 0.0 are in the area of Ethics. **Note: Eligibility for CE credit expires on August 17, 2025. 
• Certificates of attendance will also be provided.

Event Materials

Evidence-Based Care for Children with Elevated BMI Flyer

Resource List

Webinar Slides Handout

Webinar Q&A