Weight Management (COACH): Why Children's?

The COACH (Center for Obesity and its Complications on Health) Clinic at Children's Medical Center Dallas is a multidisciplinary approach to tackling weight issues and other medical conditions commonly found with obesity.   The entire program is designed to provide patients and their families intensive weight management therapy to support them in achieving and maintaining lifelong habits of good nutrition and healthy activities.

Patients and their families will participate in:

• Lifestyle modification, physical activity, and nutrition education in 12 weekly group sessions and is organized into classes based on their age and spoken language.
• Identifying behaviors that could trigger overeating or choosing unhealthy foods including media influences, dining out, and inappropriate division of feeding responsibility between parent and child through group activities and games.
• The LEAN Families Program is the first comprehensive pediatric weight management program in North Texas.
• Children's is the first and only hospital in the nation to be certified for pediatric obesity education by The Joint Commission.
• The LEAN Families program is led by board certified pediatric endocrinologist, John Oden.

The LEAN Families program teaches healthy life-style behaviors such as good nutrition and physical activity to the entire family. After completing the program, the patient and family are more likely to retain the healthy habits learned for the rest of their lives.