Abstract
Hosted by the Jay Perman, MD, President of the UM campus, and Joshua Sharfstein, MD, DHMH Secretary, the Summit presented diverse opportunities for participants to become more informed and active in intervening to prevent childhood obesity. More than 400 stakeholders across the state attended, including healthcare leaders, clinicians, and government officials from the state, city of Baltimore, counties, and rural communities. Participants learned about policy approaches to prevention, exchanged and disseminated evidence-based information, considered disparities in morbidity and mortality, addressed cultural influences, identified potential interventions, and produced an inventory of local and state programs and resources available in Maryland.
While at the Summit, it was staggering to see the deep academic and community resources available. During a session entitled Talk with the Experts and Share Your Experience, 17 round tables were set up in a large hotel ballroom, where experts in a variety of topics were sitting. To gain some perspective on the depth and breadth of expertise and topics, see Table 1. Participants moved from table to table with no time constraints, selecting the topics about which they were keenly interested, and had informal conversations amongst each other and with the expert at the table.
I moved between several different tables, staying the longest with an expert pharmacist, Magaly Rodriguez deBittner, PharmD, BCPS, CDE, who is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the UM School of Pharmacy. Dr. deBittner's topic was: Ask the Pharmacist—Medications and Obesity. I learned the impact of certain medications on weight gain, especially if the gain is sudden, may be related to medications, such as high-dose steroids for children with asthma, as well as antidepressants and antipsychotics for children with behavioral health needs. Dr. deBittner explained when we assess children and adolescents, we need to perform a thorough review of prescription and over-the-counter medications. For example, repeated use of sedatives or antihistamines can also cause weight gain, something we may not normally consider.
In addition to Perman and Sharfstein, plenary speakers at the summit included the Maryland's lieutenant governor, two state congressmen, the director of the National Institute Minority Health and Health Disparities, and Dr. William Dietz, a well-known leader and advocate for health promotion and disease prevention who is the director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity in the Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. The didactic program was broken up by a variety of offerings, such as a performance by Kangaroo Kids, a Maryland based jump-roping troupe; Zumba dancing by students from a local elementary schools; an indoor group exercise class and an outdoor walk/run for conference participants; and an evening screening of Cafeteria Man, a documentary film produced to chronicle how Baltimore City schools improved the breakfasts and lunches offered to children.
At the conclusion of the Summit, the hosts discussed the next steps and announced that the Institute for a Healthiest Maryland, which will be supported by part of a 5-year $9.5 million federal Community Transformation Grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will be formed. This institute will guide policy, systems, and environmental changes in local communities by providing evidence-based resources from higher education experts to fight obesity, tobacco use, and assist with hypertension and high-cholesterol management. The Institute for a Healthiest Maryland will be the platform upon which the state will continue its momentum from the Summit on Childhood Obesity.
I learned a lot at the Summit about the power of collaboration. Passionate about fighting childhood obesity, Perman is the kind of leader and advocate valued by clinicians and academics. On a national level, when Michelle Obama selected childhood obesity as her focus area, the media and experts started emphasizing the topic with greater vigor and enthusiasm. It helps to have someone in power who wants to fight the same cause we have. A well-known leader is able to shine a spotlight on the topic in a larger-than-life way, engage experts and community partners, and designate resources. In a similar manner, after witnessing the partnership between the UM President and the DHMH Secretary, it was evident their respective armies of expert resources collaborated in kind. This collaboration spawned partnerships that would otherwise not have developed and is serving the state well in the effort to fight childhood obesity. I encourage you to consider the partnerships that could be promoted in your state. It is at the state level that a call to action to combat obesity can take shape, be tangible, and affect change. Consider connecting with experts you may not normally think of or relate to, as our patients will greatly benefit from these partnerships.