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Dietitian wins award for children's
video
by
Maggie Diebolt
Public
Relations
The percentage of obese children now is higher than ever before,
according to Debbie Petitpain with dietetic services.
A registered dietitian (RD), Petitpain, along with the nutrition
department, was inspired by the childhood obesity epidemic to produce a
video on the subject.
The production project won as top entry in the Southeast region
of the American Dietetic Association’s Food & Nutrition Conference
and Expo. The award will be presented to Petitpain at the meeting
Sept. 16 through 19 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Petitpain and the nutrition department saw the potential for a basic
weight management video to reach a large number of people who would not
otherwise have access to the information. As a result, Petitpain won an
award for producing the video, which focused introductory weight
management education for children and adolescents entitled, “Eating and
Exercise: It’s All About Balance.”
Petitpain’s video was produced as part of a collaborative project with
MUSC’s dietetic intern class of 2006. The eight-minute video provides
introductory weight management education to overweight pediatric
inpatients via the GetWell Network, which allows patients to watch the
video in their rooms at their convenience. The GetWell Network is a
system that connects patient bedsides with interactive electronic
communications including Internet access at the Children’s Hospital and
about 50 percent of the adult hospital.
The primary goal of this project was to provide basic weight management
education to every overweight child admitted to the hospital.
“A major benefit of the video is that it provides basic weight
management education for a much larger population than possible through
one-on-one counseling. If we inspire even one family that we would not
have otherwise reached, we can start to make an impact on the epidemic
of childhood obesity,” said Petitpain.
Another aim of producing this video was to minimize the number of hours
dietitians spent educating a population that may not be receptive to
weight management education or utilize a favorable learning environment
for such education.
Funding for the video was provided by Sodexho, a leading food and
facilities management company that also sponsored the “RDs Reaching
Above and Beyond” contest from which Petitpain’s was awarded.
Production on the project began in August 2005, and the final product
was launched in May.
Lifestyle
changes
Five lifestyle changes a family can make to improve the weight of their
child are included in the video. These main points on healthy eating
and exercise habits are based on the ease with which they can be
incorporated into a person’s lifestyle and Petitpain’s experiences
working with families:
- Don’t drink anything with calories (low-fat milk can be an
exception)
- Watch portion sizes of meals
- Limit calories in snacks to no more than 200 calories
per serving; fill up on fruits and vegetables
- Limit television watching
“Eating and Exercise: It’s All About Balance,” is currently available
on the GetWell Network. A handout also is available on the patient
education Web site featuring more information. Ambulatory clinics may
also purchase a video to show in their waiting areas. The
video currently is being translated into Spanish and Petitpain hopes it
will eventually be made available in all areas of the country.
For information on the video, or about obesity, e-mail baselm@musc.edu.
Friday, Aug. 25, 2006
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