title: Implementing the obesity care model at a community health center in Hawaii to address childhood obesity.
abstract: Obesity, the most common chronic disease of childhood, is prevalent among economically disadvantaged children. The Chronic Care and Obesity Care Models are comprehensive health care strategies to improve outcomes by linking primary care best practices and community-based programs. Pediatric providers and community health centers are well positioned to design and implement coordinated and synergistic programs to address childhood health disparities. This article describes a comprehensive project based on the Obesity Care Model initiated at a rural community health center in Hawaii to address childhood obesity including: (1) the health care delivery changes constituting the quality improvement project; (2) capacity and team-building activities; (3) use of the project community level data to strengthen community engagement and investment; and (4) the academic-community partnership providing the project framework. We anticipate that these efforts will contribute to the long-term goal of reducing the prevalence of obesity and obesity associated morbidity in the community.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Hawaii John A.Burns School of Medicine, 1319 Punahou St., Honolulu, HI 96826, USA. okihirom@hawaii.edu.
authors.forename: May
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okihiro
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pillen
authors.forename: Cristeta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ancog
authors.forename: Christy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Inda
authors.forename: Vija
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sehgal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003151:Community Health Centers; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D005260:Female; D006254:Hawaii; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017146:Models, Organizational; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*