Abstract
Obesity affects the health and well-being of children globally. Despite recommendations to routinely screen children for obesity starting at age 6 years, physicians do not consistently address weight or provide effective weight-management counseling. We developed an interactive session for second-year medical students with foundational knowledge and practical communication skills around partnership and discussion of pediatric healthy weight management. Students were administered a pre-/post-Likert survey to self-assess knowledge, comfort, and confidence in counseling patients and caregivers about weight management. Students' related counseling skills were assessed during a standardized patient encounter of a teen with rapid weight gain. The session successfully increased students' self-assessed knowledge, comfort, and confidence, and resulted in successful application of weight management skills in a simulated patient encounter. Utilization of empathy skills requires continued coaching. We propose incorporation of similar sessions into medical school curricula to address the pediatric obesity epidemic.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 357-361 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Childhood Obesity |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 1 2023 |
Keywords
- medical student education
- patient-physician communication
- pediatric weight counseling
- pediatric weight management
- unhealthy BMI behavioral management
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
- Nutrition and Dietetics