Healthier tomorrow’s for today’s kids
In less than 40 years, the U.S. childhood obesity rate has more than tripled to become a national crisis.
It’s a problem hiding in plain sight.
For years doctors have told kids to eat healthy and be more active. But if simply saying that worked, millions of children today wouldn’t be on a path to living with Type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or metabolic syndrome.
Uma Pisharody, M.D., understands why those talking points never worked, and the pediatric gastroenterologist is determined to give parents the help they so desperately want. Now she has an evidence-based plan for guiding children and their family to a healthier future.
With Swedish’s new Resilience program, Dr. Pisharody wants to show families how to shop, cook and eat in a way that will save our next generation from a lifetime of medical problems.
But she needs your help.
Dr. Pisharody has cared for kids with obesity for years and is driven to reverse this dangerous trend. With your support, she can.
4.5 million
U.S. children who are severely obese
57%
Portion of today’s children who will be obese by age 35
1 in 4
Children who are diabetic or pre-diabetic
Like most of us, David had a rough 2020. Cut off from friends and most physical activities, the first grader played less and snacked more. And after nine months of the pandemic lifestyle, he’d gained enough weight that his mom, Frances, decided to take him to the doctor for a check-up.
What she learned scared her: David’s liver was already showing signs of stress from his diet, which for years had included too much soda and not nearly enough fruits and vegetables. And with his family history of Type 2 diabetes and hypertension, he was facing a lifetime of health problems.
Then they met with Dr. Pisharody. Over two appointments, she went beyond explaining the importance of healthy eating and exercise to help them put a plan in place for making the change. And Frances and David got to work. She started shopping differently. He cut out sugar—completely. “Now he even looks at food and says, ‘Is it healthy? Does it have sugar in it?’” Frances says.
After two months David lost 10 pounds, his liver rebounded completely and he had more energy than ever before. And that smile on his face? It tells you all you need to know about how he feels.
HOW IT WILL WORK
Resilience is built on an ambitious but simple plan for educating families about healthy eating and providing the emotional support necessary to make a real change. David’s story is proof positive that Dr. Pisharody’s approach can work. Now she’s ready to build a comprehensive program around it that will ensure success.
Through a series of office visits with Dr. Pisharody and a rotating cast of specialists—including a psychologist, nurse practitioner and dietician—young patients and their family will receive education, and most important, positive reinforcement for undergoing this major lifestyle change.
IN THE KITCHEN
Once a month Dr. Pisharody and her staff will partner with a different local chef to put on a live, in-person cooking demonstration that not only reinforces the education that children receive in clinic, but also helps parents overcome their concerns that cooking healthy is challenging.
ONLINE
Because not everyone will have the time to attend those cooking classes, Dr. Pisharody plans to record them and post them online—along with tutorials about shopping healthy on a budget—so that families can access the videos when it’s convenient for them.
IN THE CLASSROOM
Parents and kids aren’t the only ones in need of education. Based on two state-of-the-art already headed, Dr. Pisharody will help primary care providers spot early signs of metabolic syndrome and offer guidance for nipping it in the bud through a new continuing education program.
“If it were up to me, no child would get past the age of 18 and have to deal with these problems.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP
As motivated as Dr. Pisharody is to end childhood obesity, she’ll need help. Your support can for these children by making any one of the following possible.
Radical lifestyle changes require work. While Dr. Pisharody can help young patients and their a psychologist will be crucial to providing the ongoing, evidence-based guidance and support necessary to follow through.
Cooking classes
The in-kitchen demonstrations that will serve as the backbone of Resilience will require instructors, supplies and a crew to record them. We want to ensure that an ability to attend in-person is never a barrier to accessing these valuable tutorials.
Continuing medical education for physicians
Nutrition education is in short supply for primary care physicians; David’s condition could have been reversed much sooner if his doctor had caught the signs. Dr. Pisharody has developed successful continuing education programs in the past and would like to do so again.
Ask us how you can create more success stories like David’s by supporting Dr. Pisharody and Resilience.
You can help more parents like Frances put their children on a path to a healthier future.
To learn more about how you can help children build a foundation for healthy living, contact us at 206-386-2738 or [email protected].
Download and share our brochure here: RESILIENCE BROCHURE