Dr. Mark Holterman earned both his MD and PhD at the University of Virginia. An accomplished pediatric surgeon, Dr. Mark Holterman is a member of the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) and chairman of APSA’s Childhood Obesity Committee.
APSA is the largest professional organization in the country representing the interests of the pediatric surgery field. The role of its Childhood Obesity Committee is to bring more awareness and understanding to APSA members of the multitude of healthcare issues associated with childhood obesity. The committee provides some facts on childhood obesity that pediatric surgeons can impart to patients and parents.
These facts include that in the child and teenage group around 33 percent are overweight and of the overweight children, 60 percent have related co-morbidities such as systolic hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance. Patients and parents should be made aware of the ailments and lifetime risks due to overweight and obesity. At the same time, the issues of depression and low-self esteem need to taken into consideration. Regarding these and related concerns doctors can offer encouragement, advice on how to manage weight, and can also make referrals to a weight management program.
APSA is the largest professional organization in the country representing the interests of the pediatric surgery field. The role of its Childhood Obesity Committee is to bring more awareness and understanding to APSA members of the multitude of healthcare issues associated with childhood obesity. The committee provides some facts on childhood obesity that pediatric surgeons can impart to patients and parents.
These facts include that in the child and teenage group around 33 percent are overweight and of the overweight children, 60 percent have related co-morbidities such as systolic hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance. Patients and parents should be made aware of the ailments and lifetime risks due to overweight and obesity. At the same time, the issues of depression and low-self esteem need to taken into consideration. Regarding these and related concerns doctors can offer encouragement, advice on how to manage weight, and can also make referrals to a weight management program.
