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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center has launched a new initiative aimed at helping reduce obesity in children.
The center on Thursday launched its new Childhood Obesity Treatment Toolkit, which features comprehensive information for pediatricians on evaluating childhood obesity, including approaches for treatment.
The center's executive director, Dr. William T. Cefalu, says the kit provides a starting point to begin and continue the conversation about developing healthy lifestyles earlier so that children are less likely to suffer from obesity, diabetes, hypertension and other chronic conditions.
The toolkit also stresses the importance of family involvement in health, including encouraging parents to model healthy eating and a physically active lifestyle. It also focuses on self-monitoring and goal setting, while integrating technology such as smartphone apps, pedometers and text messaging to motivate patients.
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