For Healthcare Professionals

Discussing weight and food in pediatric settings

Teen talking with Doctor

What to Say Healthcare offers pediatric healthcare professionals the latest evidence-based strategies for fostering constructive conversations about weight, BMI, and food relationships with children and their families.

This course is accredited by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) for 2.0 Prescribed CME credits.

Learning Objectives

  • Address Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders: Learn to recognize signs and how to approach these sensitive topics.
  • Build Supportive Pediatric Environments: Develop personalized communication strategies and action plans to promote positive relationships with food and body image.
  • Understand Weight Stigma: Explore the origins and impact of weight stigma in healthcare settings and learn strategies to mitigate its effect.

Enroll now

To support our nonprofit mission and cover the costs of this educational resource, we suggest the following donation amounts for our CME course. We understand financial situations vary and aim to make the course accessible to everyone.

  • General Course: $79
  • New Physician: $75 (Use coupon code: NEWDOC75)
  • Student or Resident: $60 (Use coupon code: STUDENT60)
  • If a donation isn’t feasible, Use coupon code: MISSION-SUPPORT-DISCOUNT
Activity Details

Released On
January 8, 2024

Media Type
Internet

Completion Time
2 hours

Specialty
Pediatrics, Family Practice

Topic(s)
Pediatrics, Eating disorders, weight stigma

Activity Outline

Module 1: Why & Guiding Philosophy

An introduction to the foundational concepts of What to Say Healthcare, delving into the evidence that supports its significance and effectiveness. Following, healthcare professionals will engage with comprehensive insights on the widespread occurrence of eating disorders and disordered eating patterns, understand the various risk elements with these conditions, and discover the critical role they can assume in fostering a healthy body image and constructive relationship with food among children.

  • 20-minute lecture divided into three parts
  • A video summary sheet
  • A quiz
  • A list of related resources and research
  • An email template for providers to share WTS HC with colleagues and clinics

Module 2: Addressing Provider Concerns

Module 2 aims to equip providers with the necessary skills to discuss food and weight-related issues concerning pediatric patients in a manner that avoids stigma and promotes a supportive and understanding healthcare environment. Providers will learn best practices for discussing such concerns with patients and their parents.

  • A 29-minute panel discussion
  • A video summary sheet
  • A quiz
  • A list of related resources and research
  • A Q&A reference sheet
  • A list of example dot/smart phrases providers may use for such conversations with patients

Module 3: Addressing Parent Concerns

Module 3 is designed to guide providers in effectively addressing concerns related to food and weight that parents may have about their children, ensuring these sensitive topics are handled with care. Providers will be introduced to best practices for effectively addressing and managing concerns that parents may bring to them about their children’s eating habits or weight, fostering a constructive and sensitive dialogue.

  • A 23-minute panel discussion divided into four parts
  • A video summary sheet
  • A quiz
  • A list of related resources and research
  • A Q&A quick reference sheet
    A list of example dot/smart phrases providers may use for such conversations with patients.

Module 4: Weight Stigma

This module addresses weight stigma, providing insights into its manifestation in healthcare settings and examining its detrimental effects on patient health and treatment outcomes.

  • A 37-minute interview-style discussion divided into two parts
  • A video summary sheet
  • A quiz
  • A list of related resources and research
Accreditation & Registration Fee Details

The AAFP (American Academy of Family Practitioners) has reviewed What to Say Healthcare, and deemed it acceptable for AAFP credit. Term of approval is from 12/01/2024 to 12/01/2025. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

What to Say Healthcare is approved for 2.0 enduring material AAFP elective credits.

This course is free but a suggested donation of $79 is requested upon completion of the course if you found the content valuable. WithAll is a fully donor-funded nonprofit working to prevent eating disorders and support eating disorder recovery. Your donation helps us maintain this course and provide other educational resources to adult role-models to kids.

Presenters

Katie Loth, PhD, MPH, RD, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota

Laura Hooper, PhD, MS, RD, NIMH Eating Disorders T32 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences | Medical School, University of Minnesota

Lesley Williams, M.D., Family Physician, Mayo Clinic, Arizona

Lisa Radzak, Executive Director, WithAll

Instructions for Participation and Credit

To receive a certificate of participation, participants must:

  1. Follow instructions to register or log in. We recommend taking the course on a computer instead of a mobile device.
  2. View the online activity in its entirety, including completing the comprehension quizzes.
  3. Complete and submit a short online post-assessment and evaluation.

A certificate of participation will be emailed to the email address provided immediately following your successful completion of the post-assessment and evaluation.

For questions regarding CME credit, contact WithAll at hello@withall.org.

Testimonials

  • I’m excited about What to Say Healthcare because it’s coming at such an exciting time. We’ve seen this cultural shift where medical providers are wanting to think differently about food and weight but not always having the tools to do so. So I think this really fills a gap in our medical education and will provide an opportunity for them to be at the forefront of eating disorder prevention.
    Katie Loth, PhD, MPH, RD
    Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota
  • These videos are so well done - you both clearly and succinctly identify the concerns with the current care model and leave the audience engaged and eager to learn how to modify or enhance their practice.
    Heather Bergeson, MD
    TRIA Orthopedics
  • The dot and smart phrases for patient charting included in the didactic toolkit are well written; I see myself using them in the clinic.
    Cassandra Jones, MD
    Director of Child & Adolscent Medical Services, The Emily Program

What to Say

Have you watched our What to Say video? We recommend all adult role models start here.