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ForwardSymposium Session: Overcoming Systemic Barriers: Implementing the AAP's New Pediatric Obesity Guidelines in Health Care
Obesity in children is defined as a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile by the Centers for Disease and Prevention’s sex-specific BMI-for-age growth charts.1 More than 14 million US children, including 22% of adolescents, meet the criteria for obesity.2 The American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) new obesity guidelines offer a comprehensive framework for addressing childhood obesity through evidence-based clinical practices, updated policies, and systemic changes.
This session features a dietitian, a nurse, and a pediatrician – a truly interprofessional group of health care practitioners. Dr. Gonzalez, Dr. Avila Edwards, and Erika Estrada-Ibarra will highlight the need for ongoing research to evaluate the long-term efficacy and adaptability of these guidelines in diverse pediatric populations and provide collaborative strategies the interprofessional team can use when caring for pediatric populations at risk for or struggling with obesity.
This is not a webinar or course for purchase - this is a module for credit claiming for our 2025 Spring Symposium attendees and cannot be purchased or taken by non-attendees. These sessions are exclusive to our Symposium; however, the topics may be revisited in the future in the form of a webinar or self-study course.
Learning Objectives
After completing this continuing education activity, health care professionals will be better able to:
- Identify and implement the new AAP guidelines in daily pediatric care to improve patient outcomes.
- Advocate for policies that support the guidelines while addressing the systemic barriers to effective obesity management.
- Determine areas for further research to assess the long-term impact and effectiveness of the guidelines in various populations.
- Collaborate with other care team members when implementing the new AAP guidelines for improved patient outcomes.
References:
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Defining child BMI categories: BMI and BMI categories for children and teens. Accessed March 13, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/basics/childhood-defining.html
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Childhood obesity facts; prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States. Accessed March 13, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html
Additional Information
Kimberly Avila Edwards, MD, MSHCT, FAAP, is a general pediatrician and the Associate Chair of Advocacy for the Department of Pediatrics at Dell Medical School. She is a graduate of Harvard College, where she graduated magna cum laude with an AB in Biochemistry. She went on to complete her medical degree at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Edwards completed her pediatric training at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital and in August 2024, she received her Master of Science in Health Care Transformation.
Dr. Avila Edwards has experience practicing general pediatrics in a private, multispecialty group practice, an academic ambulatory clinic, and onboard a mobile clinic that served as a medical home for uninsured children. Dr. Avila Edwards co-founded the Texas Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity at Dell Children's Medical Center in 2010; served on the editorial board for America Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Healthy Active Living for Families project; and was on the steering committee for the AAP’s Institute for a Healthy Childhood Weight from 2012-2016. She was one of the coauthors of the 2023 AAP Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Obesity.
Andie Lee Gonzalez, PhD, MPH, RDN, LD, FAND, serves as a US Pediatric Medical Science Liaison for Abbott Nutrition, a division of Abbott. In this role, she provides over 80 continuing professional education presentations annually to health care professionals. She is also an adjunct professor at South Texas Community College. Dr. Gonzalez is involved in professional leadership at the local, state, and national levels. She has served on the Latinos and Hispanics in Dietetics and Nutrition executive committees in various roles. In 2019 she completed the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Leadership Institute. She currently serves as the president for the Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, serving over 4,000 RDs and DTRs across the state of Texas. Her research interests include pediatrics, health equity, leadership and a focus on Hispanic/Latino health. In 2023, Dr. Gonzalez was lead author for a publication focused on promoting health equity for the Hispanic population through improved access to malnutrition screening and intervention.
Dr. Gonzalez earned a bachelor's degree in Dietetics and Nutrition, a Master of Public Health (MPH) and clinical training at Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing, Michigan, and completed her PhD in Organizational Leadership from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas.
Erika Estrada-Ibarra is a BSN-prepared nurse and second-year DNP-FNP/PhD student at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She completed her BSN at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and gained clinical experience in pediatric care at Driscoll Children’s Hospital. Her research interests revolve around obesity prevention and food security among Hispanic/Latino families.
DISCLOSURES
Andie Lee Gonzalez, PhD, MPH, RDN, LD, FAND, faculty for this event, has the following relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose: she is an employee of Abbott Nutrition. All relevant financial relationships listed for this individual have been mitigated.
Kimberly Avila Edwards, faculty for this educational event, has no relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Erika Estrada-Ibarra, faculty for this educational event, has no relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
The planners of this educational activity have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.
An “ineligible company” includes any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
In support of improving patient care, Great Valley Publishing Company is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
This activity will also award credit for dietetics (CDR CPEU).
RDs and DTRs are to select activity type 102 in their Activity Log. Sphere and Competency selection is at the learner’s discretion.
Physicians: Great Valley Publishing designates this live material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit (s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Social Workers: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Great Valley Publishing Company is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course will receive 1.5 ethics, clinical, cultural competence, or general types of continuing education credits.
Available Credit
- 1.25 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE)This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.