High-Yield Updates in Pediatrics: Tackling Obesity, Immunizations, and Allergy

Overview

In this session, participants will identify the most pressing questions primary care clinicians have regarding obesity, immunizations, and allergic diseases. We will address common concerns and evidence-based management strategies, while emphasizing the importance of early intervention and preventive care.

Learning Objectives

• Define parameters for pediatric overweight & obesity, including the 3 classes of obesity severity, based on BMI percentiles; identify strategies for mitigating weight stigma in the pediatric clinical setting; and describe the evaluation for pediatric patients with obesity as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
• Describe the process for helping patients & families develop SMART goals using a motivational interviewing-based approach, and identify weight management medication & surgical options for the pediatric population
• Discuss the historical context of immunizations as the greatest public health advancement of the 20th century, and recognize that there are a variety of reasons families may be hesitant toward vaccines
• Review the evidence around early introduction of allergenic foods for the prevention of food allergy
• Summarize the evidence around oral immunotherapy in young children for treating food allergy