News Ambitious Childhood Obesity Team Spurs Change

Center Viewed as Thought-Leader Locally, Nationally

AUSTIN, Texas - (Sept. 23, 2011) - It's been more than a year since the Texas Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity (TCPTCO) opened the Activating Children Empowering Success (ACES) clinic at Dell Children's. In addition to the clinic, the center actively advocates for change locally and nationally. They are also arming health care providers with much-needed training and resources to care for the increasing population of obese children.

Since April 2010, the ACES clinic has served approximately 200 children and their families. The team sees patients two half days per week and typical appointments last two or three hours, as patients and their families meet with a pediatrician, a dietician, a social worker, a physical therapist and a nurse. Services are targeted to the patients most ready and able to engage with the center's resources.

Despite being a new entity, organizations around the state have taken notice and seek support from the center. At the state level, TCPTCO faculty serves in advisory and leadership roles with the Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Medical Association and the Texas Pediatric Society. Comptroller Susan Combs also highlighted the center's work in her 2011 report Gaining Cost, Losing Time: The Obesity Crisis in Texas.

Today, the center shares space with other services at Dell Children's including exam rooms, conference rooms, auditorium and courtyard.

"I dream of the day when we have a purpose-filled space with a safe, indoor workout facility, a physical therapy clinic, mental health counseling, group programs and conference rooms to house regular programming," said Dr. Stephen Pont, medical director, TCPTCO. "The additional space would expand our capacity to serve patients and provide a safe place to exercise before or after appointments."

While the clinic meets an important need in Central Texas, the team recognizes they will never care for all the children who need help. In addition to working one-on-one with patients, faculty and staff push for education, advocacy and research to spur environmental and societal change.

Pictured above (from left to right): Dr. Jane Gray, director of psychology, ACES clinic; Ashley Delano, physical therapist, ACES clinic; Dr. Kimberly Avila Edwards, medical director, Healthy Living, Happy Living, and pediatrician, ACES clinic; Dr. Stephen Pont, medical director, TCPTCO, and pediatrician, ACES clinic; Sarah Ross, pre-doctoral psychology intern, ACES clinic; Stephanie Sauceda, department assistant, TCPTCO; Sandra Lopez, RN, ACES clinic; Lauren Oliver, registered dietician, TCPTCO; Jennifer Harrison, manager, specialty care and ACES clinic; Michele Pierson, social worker, TCPTCO; Charleslynn Roberts, undergraduate practicum student, TCPTCO; Sr. Catherine Brown, Daughter of Charity, program coordinator, TCPTCO; Logan Jenkins, business manager, specialty care and ACES clinic.

Recently Dr. Pont, along with colleagues across the U.S., led the effort to establish a new provisional section on obesity within the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Prior to this, obesity information was spread across multiple sections. The new branch provides a professional home for pediatricians interested in the specialty and will foster nationwide collaboration targeted at the childhood obesity epidemic. Dr. Pont currently serves as the chair.

Dr. Kimberly Avila Edwards, medical director, Healthy Living, Happy Living and co-founder, TCPTCO, served as the state team leader for the Texas Pediatric Society's Be Our Voice project which led advocacy trainings for health care professionals in Austin, Harlingen and Dallas.

She also serves on the editorial board of the AAP's Healthy Active Living for Families project. The project is developing parent-tested, parent-approved childhood obesity prevention messages for children five years and younger. Today, there are no such resources available. The project facilitated an Austin-based focus group to develop Spanish messages that resonate well with the Hispanic community. Once completed, the project materials will be available nationally for use in multiple points of contact with children five years and younger, including physicians' offices and child care centers.

Now in its third year, the successful 10-week Healthy Living, Happy Living program continues to instigate change with local children and their families. A new curriculum developed by the TCPTCO team was launched this summer. They continue to develop and share best practices for group-based programs with health care professionals locally, state-wide and nationally.

"We see significant improvements in parenting stress, child depressive symptoms and body mass index with our participants. I anticipate our new curriculum will reach more families beginning their journey of healthy living," said Dr. Avila Edwards.

Some patients also meet with Dr. Jane Gray, director of psychology and co-founder of TCPTCO, or graduate students under her supervision. Close collaboration with the Texas Child Study Center, a partnership with The University of Texas at Austin, has increased availability of mental health services for these patients.

"We know depression, anxiety, self-esteem, social isolation and disordered eating behaviors, such as binge eating, are associated with obesity," said Dr. Gray. "Through our clinical experience, we've confirmed many patients and families also face multiple social, economic and family stressors making healthy behavior change incredibly difficult. Whether the identified child has a psychiatric condition or not, focusing on mental health and family support is crucial with this population."

Meanwhile, Dr. Pont shares prevention tips and the Five-Two-One-Almost None message locally as a regular contributor to FOX 7, Round Rock Leader and Ahora Si, the leading Spanish newspaper in Central Texas. His most recent contributions can be found on the green tab on the right side of the center's website.

According to 2010 FITNESSGRAM statistics, nearly 35 percent of Austin Independent School District third grade through high school students are obese. To meet the growing need for childhood obesity prevention and treatment, the center will continue to develop tools, training and best practices to enable primary care providers to address this increasing epidemic.

One way to support the center's efforts is to join them for the inaugural Be Well Walk, the latest initiative in the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation's fight to end childhood obesity. The 3.6 mile walk around Lady Bird Lake will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 2. Registration is available online and participants may select Dell Children's TCPTCO as the recipient of your donation.