Healthy Eating and Activity Program

Location:

Zone B, Level 1 (B1-200)

Paediatric Medical Day Unit
Children’s Hospital
800 Commissioners Rd. East
London, ON.

Directions and Parking:

Driving Directions to Children's Hospital.

Park in Parking Lot 7 located on the north side of the hospital.  This lot is accessible at the Wellington and Baseline Road entrance.

Contact:

Health care team: 519-685-8100

Fax: 519-685-8431

Our Team:

Dr. Cheril Clarson, MD, FRCP	Paediatric Endocrinologist
Dr. Dirk Bock, MD	Paediatrician
Tracy Robinson, HBA, CTD	Program Manager
Margaret C. Watson, RN, CRCPC	Research Coordinator
Linda Castle, RPN	Registered Practical Nurse
Meghan Rombeek , MSc, RD	Registered Dietitian
Brittany Corriea	Fitness Specialist

Our Program:

The Healthy Eating and Activity Program provides support for children and families on an outpatient basis.

The program initiatives are supported by Children's Health Foundation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Greenshield Community Giving Program. Please note HIP Kids and REACH are no longer accepting new referrals.

Hip Kids

Hip Kids is an education and counselling-based program that provides family-centered and multidisciplinary care to children, ages 8 to 18, and their families. Participants are supported for one year by a health care team including a paediatrician, social worker, fitness specialist and dietitian. The team works with the child and the child’s family to develop goals for nutrition and physical activity that are realistic and reflect the uniqueness of the individual. Clinics take place Monday and Wednesday between the hours of 4pm and 9pm in the Pediatric Medical Day Unit (PMDU) at Children’s Hospital. Participants will be scheduled to attend the program for 1.5 hours every 2 weeks for 3 months and then monthly for 9 months. Referral to Hip Kids is by family doctor or paediatrician. Funding is provided by the Children’s Health Foundation.

Download the Hip Kids letter of information

REACH Activity and Metformin Research Study

REACH is a clinical research study designed to compare changes in diet and exercise alone to changes in diet and exercise in combination with Metformin medication. Metformin is a pill that makes the body’s insulin work better. When used in combination with improvements in diet and exercise, it can promote weight loss. This study is in partnership with The University of Western Ontario for 10-16 years of age and is funded by Children’s Health Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research .

In the Media:

http://www.londoncommunitynews.com/2011/11/laumann-provides-healthy-inspiration/

http://www.londoncommunitynews.com/2011/10/a-discussion-on-obesity/

http://www.metronews.ca/london/local/article/1001875--childhood-obesity-to-be-discussed-thursday-night

Watch an interview with Dr. Cheril Clarson about the REACH program (courtesy of Rogers TV)

Publications:

Guido Filler, Abeer Yasin, Priya Kesarwani, Amit X. Garg, Robert Lindsay, Ajay P. Sharma. Big Mother or Small Baby: Which Predicts Hypertension? Journal of Clinical Hypertension, June 2010.
Quang Nhut Ngo, Abeer Yasin, Ajay Parkesh Sharma, Guido Filler. Children with Chronic Kidney Disease Are More Overweight in Canada than in Germany. Journal of US-China Medical Science. September 2010, Vol 7:9

Wilson JA, Prapavessis H, Jung ME, Cramp AG, Vascotto J, Lenhardt L, Shoemaher K, Watson M, Robinson T, Clarson CL. Lifestyle Modification and Metformin as Long-term Treatment Options for Obese Adolescents: Study Protocol. BMC Public Health 2009, 9:434

Clarson CL, Mahmud FH, Baker JE, Clark HE, Mckay WM, Schauteet VD , Hill DJ. Metformin in Combination with Structured Lifestyle Intervention Improved Body Mass Index in Obese Adolescents but did not Improve Insulin Resistance. Endocrine 2009 April 23

He M, Piche L, Clarson CL, Callaghan C, Harris SB. Childhood Overweight & Obesity Management: A National Perspective of Primary Health Care Providers’ Views, Practices, Perceived Barriers and Needs. Paediatrics & Child Health 2009

Abstracts:

HIP Kids, Health Initiative Program for Child and Youth Overweight and Obesity. Bock, D. The 1st Global Congress for Consensus in Pediatrics & Child Health (CIP), Paris, France, February 17-20, 2011.

Implementing and Evaluating a Community-based Obesity Prevention Program for A High-risk Paediatric Population. Harvey, B., Mandich, G., Battram, D., He, M., Clarson, C., & Harris, S. Latino Families in Action (LFIA): 2009 Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) Annual Conference. Winnipeg, Manitoba. June, 2009.

Birthweight Impacts on Response to Lifestyle Intervention in Obese Insulin Resistant Adolescents. Clarson CL, Hill D. 40th Annual Meeting of Diabetic Pregnancy Study Group EASD, Cavtat, Croatia, Oct 2008.

Metformin in Combination with Intensive Lifestyle Intervention Improves Body Mass Index in Obese Insulin Resistant Adolescents. Clarson CL, Mahmud FH, Hill DJ. Oral presentation, American Diabetes Association’s 68th Scientific Sessions, San Francisco, CA. 2008. Diabetes 57 (Suppl. 1) p. A113, Abstract 392-OR.

Childhood Overweight and Obesity Management: Physician’s Views, Practices, Perceived Barriers and Needs. He, M. Harris, S.B., Piche, L. Clarson, CL, Cdn Journal of Diabetes. 2006:30 #154.

"Global Congress for Consensus in Pediatrics & Child Health, Paris, Presenters: Bock DE, Robinson T, Clarson CL, HIP Kids, Health Initiative Program for Child and Youth Overweight and Obesity. Preliminary Results of the first two enrollment waves. Global Congress for Consensus in Pediatrics & Child Health, February, 2011, Paris, France."

Presentations:

Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Metabolic Parameters in Obese Adolescents and Birth Size. Oral Presentation. David J. Hill, Harry Prapavessis, Kevin Shoemaker, Cheril Clarson. First Annual Research Day in Diabetes, University of Western Ontario. November 2010.

Adherence of Obese Adolescents to a Family Based Lifestyle Intervention. Margaret Watson, Michelle Jackman, Megan Rombeek, Sarah Denomme, Harry Prapavessis, Julie Gerber, A. Justine Wilson, Cheril L. Clarson. 3rd Conference on Recent Advances in the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood & Adolescent Obesity: Families in Focus. October 2010.

Long-term Physical Activity Behaviour in Obese Adolescents: Effects of an Exercise and Group-Mediated Cognitive Behavioural Intervention.
Justine Wilson, Jacqueline Simatovic, Sarah Kasman, Louise Radford, Petra Kovacks, Mary E. Jung, Harry Prapavessis, Cheril Clarson.
3rd Conference on Recent Advances in the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood & Adolescent Obesity: Families in Focus. October 2010.

A Group-Mediated Cognitive-Behavioural Exercise Intervention for Obese Adolescents. A.J. Wilson, M.E. Jung, A.G. Cramp, J. Simatovic, H. Prapavessis, C. Clarson. The Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology: Ottawa, Ontario. October 2010.

HIP Kids, Health Initiative for Child and Youth Overweight and Obesity. Tracy Robinson, Dirk Bock, Michelle Jackman, Johanna Kaipainen, Joy Vascotto, Cheril L. Clarson. Oral Presentation Canadian Obesity Network Student Meeting: Ottawa, June 2010.

"Interventions for Childhood Obesity" Drug Therapy Day, London, Ontario. Presenter: Bock, DE. January, 2011
"Diagnostic and Management Approach of Childhood Obesity" Drug Therapy Day, London, Ontario, Presenter: Bock, DE, March, 2011
"Kliniken Nordoberpfalz AG", Department of Pediatrics, D-92637 Weiden, Germany. Presenter, Bock, DE, May, 2011.