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Screen and treat patients for comorbid mental health conditions, including weight-based bullying, poor self-esteem, depression, trauma and anxiety.
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Use appropriate, sensitive, and non-stigmatizing language when discussing weight with children, adolescents, and their families. Discuss weight in a “matter of fact” manner using language that focuses on health rather than weight or appearance. Research shows that adolescents struggling with obesity prefer words such as “weight” and “body mass index” rather than “obese” or “big.”
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Provide patient-centered, empathic frameworks such as motivational interviewing to illicit positive changes with children and their families.
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Using family-centered communication and family-based interventions takes the focus off the patient who may already be experiencing weight-based stigma.
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Encourage long-term changes in behaviors that are related to obesity risk rather than relying on diets and exercise prescriptions, which may only result in short-term success.