biw4teens in heathcare clinics
IN THE BEGINNING
The Back in Whack Program was initially developed and implemented into a pediatric clinic in rural Wyoming in 2013. Two months after the launch date of the program, Wyoming Medicaid asked that the program be replicated and made available to pediatric clinics throughout Wyoming. Since that time, the program has been utilized by Wyoming Medicaid, Indian Health Services, and Federally Qualified Health Clinics.
AN EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAM
Back in Whack is a multi-component pediatric weight management program that was developed according to evidence-based guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control, plus many more. CLICK HERE to read the detailed description of the program components and the science for which the program was built upon.
AN EFFECTIVE PROGRAM
Children and teens who completed the Back in Whack Program successfully adopted healthier eating and lifestyle habits and lowered their body mass index. It is not just the youth who made healthy changes. Whole families have adopted healthier eating and lifestyle habits as a result of the Back in Whack Program. CLICK HERE to read about program benefits pediatricians and youth have reported.
AN AWARD WINNING PROGRAM
In 2015 the program received an award from the National Association of Nutrition Professionals for being a program that is improving the health of our nation. The Centers for Disease Control reviewed the program and stated that it was an effective pediatric weight management program.
REDUCING RISK OF DEVELOPING CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS
Fourteen of the healthy lifestyle and nutrition habits in the BiW4Teens program are proven to reduce the risk for developing diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. CLICK HERE to see the list of habits and the national organizations which verify the health promoting effects of these fourteen habits.
HELPING MEET HEALTHY PEOPLE 2030 OBJECTIVES
BiW4Teens is helping to meet 20 of the Healthy People 2030 Objectives. CLICK HERE to see the list of these health and behavioral objectives.
A VERSATILE PROGRAM
In the fall of 2021, the online version of Back in Whack for Teens [BiW4Teens] was released. This has made the program available to youth across the United State for an economical price. BiW4Teens is now readily accessible to healthcare clinics everywhere. Clinics can now provide an effective weight management intervention for preteens (ages 9 through 12) and teens (ages 13 through 18) regardless of their clinic resources. Would you like to watch the Program Overview for Healthcare Professionals? CLICK HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.
Leaving obese youth without an effective treatment option is not acceptable when you consider the consequences of untreated childhood obesity!!
IMPACT OF UNTREATED CHILDHOOD OBESITY
In the absence of an effective obesity treatment program, 80% of obese children and teens will continue to be obese into adulthood. A large percentage of the severe, morbidly obese adults in our country have been obese since childhood 30. Adults who have been obese since childhood, experience much more serious health consequences than adults who became obese as an adult, and they have increased mortality rates at younger ages.
The obesity issue is so serious that experts predict that unless the trends reverse over the next several years, the current generation of American children will be the first to live shorter lives than their parents.
Childhood obesity has a negative impact on a child’s quality of health and length of life. Leaving children in America without an effective treatment option for childhood obesity is not acceptable when you consider the consequences of untreated childhood obesity!!
biw4teens easy for clinics to use
Six Easy Steps for Using BiW4Teens in the Clinic Setting
- Print the BiW4Teens Program Brochure (below) and have copies readily available in exam rooms;
- Use the brochure to talk to parents/youth about the serious health consequences of a high BMI (obesity);
- Use the brochure to explain how the BiW4Teens program can be used to help the youth achieve a lower BMI and improve overall health;
- Refer parents/youth to this website to purchase the program and begin watching BiW4Teens videos and working through the program workbook;
- Before the youth leaves the clinic, schedule them for a follow up appointment in 2 to 3 weeks to monitor measurements and vital signs , and review their progress with the BiW4Teens program;
- Continue to monitor measurements, vital signs, and health goals on a monthly basis until youth has adopted healthier lifestyle habits and lowered their high BMI (ideally for 6 months or more);
clinic resource package
If your clinic would like staff training, step-by-step program implementation guides, documentation forms, program promotion materials, plus other resources to ensure program success in your clinic, consider purchasing the
Clinic Resource Package. This package contains everything a clinic needs to successfully support youth/parents who have enrolled in the online BiW4Teens program.
DOWNLOAD THE FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE CLINIC RESOURCE PACKAGE BELOW
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE CLINIC RESOURCE PACKAGE
CHILDHOOD OBESITY in rural america
There is an absence of effective pediatric weight management programs in rural America. Many rural communities do not have the resources to address this critical health concern. Rural healthcare facilities are less likely to have nutritionists, dietitians, or weight management experts available to work with obese youth and their parents. In the United States, 16.9% of children 2 through 19 years of age are obese. Rural areas experience higher rates of overweight and obese children than the nation as a whole. Children and teens living in small rural areas have a 25% increased likelihood of being overweight or obese.
Several factors contribute to the higher obesity rates in rural areas:
- Limited access to healthy and affordable food related to the increased cost of trucking foods to rural areas;
- Cost of gas for families to drive to local shopping centers;
- Rural diets are higher in fat and calories than the average American diet;
- Lack of nutrition information and nutrition programs;
- Fewer opportunities to be physically active related to a lack of safe areas to be physically active (i.e. along busy highways);
- It takes time and gas money to transport children to safe play areas;
- Lack of funding to develop space for physical activity in sparsely populated areas;
- Challenges related to community infrastructure, such as lack of sidewalks, trails, and exercise facilities;
- Rural jobs tend to be more sedentary;
- Poverty is more prevalent in rural areas. Twenty-nine percent of individuals living in rural areas live at or below the poverty level. Higher poverty rates in rural areas compound the childhood obesity problem. Poverty is associated with the greatest prevalence of childhood obesity. In the lower socioeconomic class, the rate of overweight and obese children is 23% higher than that of the upper socioeconomic class 30. In Wyoming, where the BiW4Teens program was developed and utilized, 28.2% of children on Wyoming Medicaid are either overweight or obese, while only 23.9% of children on private insurance are overweight or obese.