White Medical Clinic Selected to Participate in Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0 Childhood Obesity Program

Screening for Area Children Available at White Medical Clinic

White Medical Clinic in White, SD, has been selected by Brookings Health System to implement the Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0 program to screen for childhood obesity and healthy lifestyles for area youth.

“The epidemic of overweight and obese youth continues to have major implications for the health of the entire population, from infants and young children to adults,” said Brookings Health System’s Chief Nursing Officer Tammy Hillestad. “The Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0 program takes a multi-faceted approach, understanding there are multiple factors to the epidemic. It focuses on instilling healthy behaviors in all children, not targeting or singling out overweight or obese youth.”

Let’s Go! helps kids and families eat healthy and be active. It is designed to increase healthy eating and active living in children from birth to 18. Let’s Go! can be implemented in six settings (healthcare, schools, early childhood, after school, workplace, and community) to reach children and families where they live, study, work and play. The program centers on the common message of “5-2-1-0”:

5 – fruit and vegetable servings every day

2 – hours or less of recreation screen time every day

1 – hour or more of physical activity every day

0 – sugary drinks, more water and low-fat milk

The nationally recognized childhood obesity prevention program is being implemented as a partnership between Brookings Health System and SDSU College of Nursing doctoral candidate Jo Gibson, a certified nurse practitioner who is using the program as her doctoral studies project. It is partially funded by Brookings Health System Foundation.

Karen Bumann, PA at White Medical Clinic, will use the program tools for accurate diagnosis of overweight and obesity, for assessment and evaluation of the child’s lifestyle behaviors, and for guidance on developing a mutually established action plan for the child. Educational tools will be provided to children to address childhood obesity and guide youth and their families to healthier eating and increased physical activities.

White Medical Clinic will assess children during appointments for school activities physical exams, well-child checks, and other clinic visits so all children have the opportunity to develop an action plan specific to their lifestyle. The screening will include a lifestyle questionnaire and, at a minimum, measurement of height, weight, and body mass index (BMI). All children over age 3 will have their blood pressure assessed to determine any cardiovascular risk factors. In addition to other indicated exam and treatment components for the clinic visit, each screening will conclude with a short discussion to set a challenge goal on a 5-2-1-0 area to work on improving. Upon follow-up at White Medical Clinic, each child will receive a prize for participating in the program and tracking and reporting their progress towards their selected goal.

For more information on the Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0 program, call White Medical Clinic at (605) 629-3333.

About Brookings Health System

Brookings Health System, located in Brookings, South Dakota, includes a 49-bed hospital, the 79-bed Brookview Manor nursing home, and Brookhaven Estates apartments. It is a non-profit, city-owned facility that offers the community a full range of inpatient, outpatient, and extended care services. The emergency room is staffed 24 hours a day and provides around the clock medical-nursing care for patient needs ranging from minor injuries to life threatening crises. For more information about the services offered at Brookings Health System, please call (605) 696-9000 or visit us on the Web at brookingshealth.org.