Nationally recognized weight management program promotes healthy lifestyles among overweight children and their families
CONCORD TOWNSHIP, Ohio, January 10, 2013-Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels; roughly one in six U.S. children are obese. In Lake County, 28 percent of children are obese or overweight. With lack of exercise and poor diet as the primary culprits, it's crucial for kids to consume fewer calories, be more active and make healthier food choices.
To improve the health and wellness of children in the community, Lake Health is offering B.E. S.T.R.O.N.G.? (formerly KidShape)-a family-centered weight management program for children ages 6 – 14. The eight-week program, which works in concert with the child's health care specialist, emphasizes nutrition, fun activities to get kids moving, and small group classes designed to support families as they make healthy lifestyle changes.
The next session of B.E. S.T.R.O.N.G. will start on Thursday, February 21, 5:30 – 7 p.m., at the Mentor Civic Center, 8600 Munson Road, Mentor. Children must have a body mass index at or above the 85th percentile to enroll, and a physician referral is required. The program is open to all families regardless of insurance coverage. A $45 registration fee is required per family and is refunded upon completion. For more information and to register, call the Lake Health Wellness Institute at 440-375-8735.
Overweight kids, defined by a body mass index at or above the 85th percentile for children of the same age and sex, are at risk for developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. There are also psychological effects: Overweight children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image, depression and anxiety.
Read more: Lake Health to Offer Next Session of B.E. S.T.R.O.N.G.® in February
Jonathan Sharpe, DPM, a Lake Health board-certified podiatrist, and John Hagopian, MD, a board-certified anesthesiologist, were named Physicians of the Year for 2012 by Lake Health team members. Dr. Sharpe earned the honor at TriPoint Medical Center; Dr. Hagopian at West Medical Center.
Dr. Sharpe earned his podiatric medicine degree from the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine and completed his residencies at the Cleveland Clinic and Kaiser Permanente in Cleveland. His special medical interests include revisional and reconstructive foot and ankle surgery, trauma and sports medicine. Dr. Sharpe joined Lake Health's medical staff in 2007.
Dr. Hagopian earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo and completed his residency at Northwestern University in Chicago and his fellowship at the University of Michigan Hospitals. Dr. Hagopian has been a member of Lake Health's medical staff for ten years and previously served as chair of the Department of Anesthesiology.
