Beyond Weight Loss: Experiences and Insights Related to Working Effectively with Families and Operating within the Health Care System to Manage Pediatric Obesity

Pediatric obesity is an urgent and complex public health issue. The high proportions of children who meet the definition of overweight or obesity highlight the need for effective and accessible services to reduce short- and long-term health risks. In our experience, we have encountered a number of challenges common in pediatric obesity management across our clinical and research centers. For the purpose of this review, these challenges and our real-world experiences are grouped as issues that include (i) caring for children with obesity and their families and (ii) working within the health care system. Overall, we highlight a number of lessons learned from our years of experience and detail ongoing initiatives designed to optimize health services for managing obesity developed for children and their families.