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Other Wellness Programs

3 boys juggle different types of apples

Boston Children’s offers a full spectrum of medically supervised programs to help children and teens affected by excess weight, obesity, and weight-related health conditions. Our specialists recognize every patient’s situation is sensitive and unique. They work with families to identify the best treatment options to help your child achieve long-term changes to their weight and their health. Here is a list of the programs we offer:

  • Optimal Wellness for Life Program: The clinical arm of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, the Optimal Wellness for Life (OWL) Program is one of the oldest and largest pediatric obesity clinics in the nation. Patient care is infused with findings from the center’s extensive research, resulting in the most innovative and up-to-date treatments. The OWL Program is dedicated to treating children with obesity (those with a body mass index [BMI] at or above the 95th percentile), or those who have, or are at risk for, type 2 diabetes. We use an integrated approach that includes medical care, nutritional counseling, behavioral modification, and exercise programming customized for the individual’s needs. The team is made up of endocrinologists, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, nutritionists, behavioral health experts, physical activity specialists, and social workers who help our patients change many aspects of their life, leading to a healthier future.
  • Adolescent Weight Loss (Bariatric) Surgery Program: For teens whose weight exceeds the 99th percentile (a BMI greater than 40), bariatric surgery, or weight-loss surgery, may be a part of their long-term treatment plan. The Adolescent Weight Loss (Bariatric) Surgery Program provides the nutritional and psychosocial support as well as medical follow up that are critical for teens undergoing weight-loss surgery.
  • Center for Young Women’s Health: The Center for Young Women's Health (CYWH) is a collaboration between the Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine and the Division of Gynecology at Boston Children's. CYWH is an education center for teen girls and young women, their families, and health care providers. The center provides health information, resources, programs, and workshops to improve understanding of normal health and development, as well as specific diseases and conditions.
  • Eating Disorders Program: The Eating Disorders Program provides assessments by specialists in adolescent/young adult medicine, nutrition, and behavioral medicine. Our clinicians provide medical care for your child’s unique needs, as well as nutritional care. The behavioral medicine team provides assessment and recommendations for future care. The program evaluates and provides ongoing care to adolescents who are struggling with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, binge eating disorder, and related eating disorders. The program offers a range of services, including consultation, medical evaluation, medical treatment, mental health consultation, nutrition evaluation and counseling, and psychiatric evaluation.
  • Healthy in the City: Healthy in the City provides Boston families with the tools and resources they need to live healthy and active lives. The Boston Children’s Office of Community Health provides capacity building and financial support to participating community health centers in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, East Boston, the South End, Chinatown, and Brighton. The health centers offer case management services and connect families to nutritional education and physical activities located either at their health center or in the community.
  • Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders: The Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders (CIMAID) is a clinic within the Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children’s. The CIMAID team addresses negative consequences of problematic interactive media use (PIMU) and other media-related health disorders, from screen-use related obesity to aggression, while helping patients sustain healthy lifestyles. The Digital Wellness Lab (formerly the Center on Media and Child Health) is an academic research center whose mission is to educate and empower children and those who care for them to create and consume media in ways that optimize children’s health and development.
  • Boston Children’s Hospital Neighborhood Partnerships: The Boston Children’s Hospital Neighborhood Partnership Program (BCHNP) is a school-based behavioral health program committed to working with school communities most affected by systemic inequities. Its purpose is to promote the social, emotional, and behavioral health and well-being of students, caregivers, and staff in partnership with the Boston Public Schools. The program collaborates with community members and organizations to provide clinical care, consultation, professional development, research, and advocacy. BCHNP partners with 16 Boston schools annually.
  • Preventive Cardiology Clinic: The Preventive Cardiology Clinic at Boston Children’s offers personalized, state-of-the-art services to treat genetic and acquired risk factors for heart disease in adulthood. Providers primarily focus on managing abnormal lipids — high cholesterol and triglycerides — and high blood pressure. The clinic’s overall goals are to prevent cardiac disease later in life, to decrease mortality, and to increase a child's future quality of life.
  • Strategies for Teen Empowerment and Physical Health Program: The Strategies for Teen Empowerment and Physical Health Program (STEP) is a weight and lifestyle management program within the Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children’s. The STEP approach is personalized and includes the specialties of medicine, nutrition, and behavioral health. Providers take a holistic approach encouraging patients to adopt healthy, sustainable behaviors to enhance their overall physical and psychological health. The team also has expertise in assessing and treating binge eating disorder in patients of all weights.
  • Young Men’s Health: Young Men's Health is a website for teens and young men featuring carefully researched and up-to-date men’s health information. The website is produced by the Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children’s.