As a parent, it's not always easy to get your child to eat healthy or be active. You want your kids to live a healthy life and learn those habits at an early age. But it can be a challenge. And unfortunately unhealthy habits can lead to childhood obesity and other health concerns.

At Brown Clinic we are concerned about childhood obesity. It has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the last 30 years. Weight management and obesity prevention are very important. Our physicians, registered dietitian and pharmacist understand weight problems and work together to help patients – including kids – improve their health and wellness while achieving a healthier weight.

Don't worry though. Brown Clinic is here to help with Strive Kids. This new program aims at teaching healthy lifestyle habits and eating, and ways to increase physical activity.

If your child has a BMI (body mass index) above the 95th percentile this is the program for them. Not sure of their BMI? There are tools to help.

Strive Kids is a 12-month program that starts with a meeting between you, your child and their physician. After an exam, you meet with our dietician to develop a personalized plan which includes diet and lifestyle changes. Throughout the program your physician will assess and evaluate your child's health and weight status. If necessary, physical therapists, counselors and our pharmacist are available for additional coaching or programming.

Call our office at (605) 884-4226 to learn more about how you and your child can benefit from this program or email us at strive2survive@brownclinic.org.

Strive2Survive is on Facebook! or at s2sbrownclinic.com