ABSTRACT
Obesity continues to rise at an alarming rate among youth, worldwide, with no immediate signs of slowing down [1]. As gatekeepers of both physical and mental health, primary care clinicians increasingly are expected to assume a greater role as a valuable informational and counseling resource on weight management for children and adolescents. They are accessible to youth and their families, as well as most familiar with their medical and physical history. During the last decade, expert committees and providers have been developing guidelines for primary care clinicians in the medical and dietary assessment, treatment, and overall management of pediatric obesity. However, most clinicians will agree that the most widespread of sequelae of pediatric obesity is psychosocial [2] and ultimately treatment and management is about behavior change [3]. Primary care clinicians continue to feel less proficient in behavioral management strategies, parent guidance/intervention, and addressing family dynamics impacting weightcontrol treatment [4]. In general, both expertise and time constraints appear to influence the quality and outcome of care [5]. Therefore, the overarching goal of this chapter is to increase the level of competence and comfort of primary care clinicians to independently screen for behavioral health concerns (psychiatric, psychosocial, readiness to change) related to the management of pediatric obesity, as well as to apply counseling strategies in the primary care setting. Behavioral health considerations for the primary care clinician, presented in this chapter, are derived from a combination of research findings, expert consensus recommendations, and the authors’ clinical experience. Therefore it is left to clinicians to use their own clinical judgment when using information provided in this chapter.
