Community engagement and pediatric obesity: Incorporating social determinants of health into treatment. Issue 4 (19th December 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Skelton, Joseph A.; Palakshappa, Deepak; Moore, Justin B.; Irby, Megan B.; Montez, Kimberly; Rhodes, Scott D.
• Is Part Of: Journal of clinical and translational science. Volume 4:Issue 4(2020)
• Page Start: 279
• Page End: 285
• Publication Date: 2019-12-19
• Subjects: Obesity, -- pediatric, -- community, -- engagement, -- treatment; Clinical medicine -- Research -- Periodicals; Medicine, Experimental -- Periodicals; Human experimentation in medicine -- Periodicals; 616.027
• DOI: 10.1017/cts.2019.447
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2059-8661

Abstract

Abstract: Childhood obesity is a complex and multi-faceted problem, with contributors ranging from individual health behaviors to public policy. For clinicians who treat pediatric obesity, environmental factors that impact this condition in a child or family can be difficult to address in a clinical setting. Community-clinic partnerships are one method to address places and policies that influence a person's weight and health; however, such partnerships are typically geared toward community-located health behavior change rather than the deeper social determinants of health (SDH), limiting effective behavioral change. Community-engaged research offers a framework for developing community-clinic partnerships to address SDH germane to obesity treatment. In this paper, we discuss the relationship between SDH and pediatric obesity treatment, use of community-clinic partnerships to address SDH in obesity treatment, and how community engagement can be a framework for creating and harnessing these partnerships. We present examples of programs begun by one pediatric obesity clinic using community-engagement principles to address obesity.