Pediatric obesity and cardiovascular diseases are conditions which continue to increase globally. The continued increase of both disease states extends beyond pediatric years adding health risks into adulthood. Both conditions can be positively impacted by lifestyle and behavior modifications gained through effective patient education. Nationally the childhood obesity rate continues to climb. Healthy People 2020 includes obesity and cardiovascular disease as health initiatives in the pediatric population. The pediatric population residing in some Southeastern states have a rate of obesity greater than 20% exceeding rates of other regions. A meeting with a local medical director of a pediatric wellness center revealed a desire to improve the practice approach to include health initiatives consistent with Healthy People 2020. The principal investigator and practice founder agreed upon an endeavor to incorporate the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) “Expert Panel of Integrated Guidelines for Cardiovascular Health and Risk Reduction in Children and Adolescents” (CVH) as the accepted method to direct patient treatment and care.
