Advocating for Wellness, Not Weight Loss in the Doctor's Office
Here’s what parents can do to keep medical visits focused on a child’s overall health.
By Leslie Schilling, Contributor Nov. 28, 2018, at 7:01 a.m.
Recently, I got a call from a concerned mother who’d been referred to a registered dietitian because of her son’s weight. When she and her son saw the pediatrician for an annual checkup, the doctor suggested that his weight was cause for concern. Now this mom sits across from me confused and wondering where she went wrong.
I am no stranger to this type of referral, and these parents have done nothing wrong. A parent takes a child in for a regular checkup, the child gains weight (which is normal), the growth chart has a bump up in the curve (also normal), and the parent (and sometimes the child) is subsequently informed that because of the child’s weight, something needs to be fixed or changed.
https://health.usnews.com/wellness/for-parents/articles/2018-11-28/focus-on-wellness-instead-of-weight-loss