Program helps kids get healthier
Plan targets physical, emotional wellness
Priann Franco started crying when the doctor checked her weight and told her that she was obese and was at risk of developing diabetes.
It’s not that the 15-year-old didn’t know that at 170 pounds she was overweight.
Her mom would tell her often to not eat too much and to get out of her room and exercise.
“And I knew that I was not like the other girls in my school,” Priann said. “I've always wanted to wear a crop top and I've always wanted to wear a halter top and just like I couldn’t do that because I was too big.”
But her doctor’s comments in the exam room stunned her.
“It was hard for her to hear that at her age,” said Franco’s mom, Indira Brown. “But it was the shock that made her wake up.”
The pediatrician gave Brown a brochure about the Healthy Weight and Wellness Program at Florida Hospital for Children and suggested that she call them and make an appointment, setting the mother and daughter on a new journey.
The six-month program is about 8 years old and was estab-
lished by Dr. Angela Fals , medical director of the Center for Child and Family Wellness at Florida Hospital for Children.
It’s designed for kids whose body mass index is at 85 percentile and above. The multidisciplinary program addresses patients’ physical and emotional health and aims to teach them about living a healthy lifestyle.
“The emphasis has never been on weight for us,” Fals said. “It's habits that we want them to carry into adulthood. It's more about the behavioral aspects. And as those behaviors change, you'll see changes in BMI and weight.”
On the first day of the program, Brown and Franco, who live in Groveland, met with Fals, along with a psychologist, a nutritionist and a physical trainer.
Fals told Franco to not worry about her weight and instead focus on eating better and exercising; the psychologist checked on her self-esteem and emotional health; the nutritionist showed her a diagram of a plate that helped her figure out how much of each food group she should eat at each meal; and the physical trainer met with her once a week for six weeks and taught her weight-lifting and cardio exercises.
She also signed up for workshops at Emeril’s Kitchen House & Culinary Garden, which is near Florida Hospital of Children in Orlando, to work in a vegetable garden and learn to make her own meals.
“When I'm there in the Kitchen House, I encourage them to take a bite of something that they haven’t tried before,” said Chris Schnell, a pediatric dietitian specialist at the program. “I do think that their aha! moment is when they realize that healthy food doesn't have to taste boring and bland.”
The program has worked with nearly 2,500 kids during the past eight years and it’s proven to be effective. A recent analysis showed that 75 percent of the participants increased or maintained their physical activity; 80 percent increased fruit consumption; and about 80 percent reduced consumption of sugary drinks.
More importantly, the data showed that 75 percent of kids with hypertension improved their blood pressure and more than 90 percent of kids improved their qualityof-life scores.
Fals attributed the outcomes to the program’s ‘show’ and not just ‘tell’ approach.
“One thing we've learned over the years is that the more practical, hands-on and detailed you are, the better results and outcomes are,” said Fals. “It used to be in the past that as a general practitioner we would say, ‘Go exercise more,’ but we’ve come to realize that that’s not sufficient. People don’t know what to do. So that's the strength of our program.”
Cutting sugary drinks was the first thing Priann did. “We broke up. We’re no longer together,” she said.
Brown, who has been as much a participant in the program as her daughter, takes Priann to the YMCA twice a week and the two work out together.
And Brown has changed how they eat at home.
“It’s very fun,” Brown said. “At home, we look at the plate diagram and say where’s your carbs and proteins? We’ve changed the diet for the whole family.”
“Even dad’s doing it!” Priann added.
Priann, who started the program in April, has lost about 4 pounds, and that’s OK, said Fals, because her body type isn’t the kind to drop weight quickly.
But, she’s lost about 4 inches from her waist and hips. Her mom too has seen results in her muscle tone and in how she feels.
“I am 41 years old. I want to live until I’m like 94, 95 years old. But if you don’t eat well, it’s difficult to get there,” Brown said.
The Healthy Weight and Wellness Program was initially funded for three years, but with Fals’ advocacy and donations from local funders and the hospital, the program has continued to grow. It has nearly 90 partnerships with local and national organizations and has shared its successes with other hospitals and programs.
Nearly 19 percent of youth between ages 2 and 19 were considered obese in 2016, according to national data. That’s compared with 14 percent in 2000.
“Fighting childhood obesity is an uphill battle, but when you see that light go off in a child's eye and it's clicked for them, that they got it and will continue that for the rest of their lives, it's satisfying like nothing else,” Fals said.