Community and school-based interventions to prevent obesity in children and adolescents.

Public health initiatives in community and school settings are complementary to clinical medicine and are necessary in times of health crisis, such as the current epidemic of obesity. In addition to providing health care for individuals, physicians need to regard their community as their patient and participate in multidisciplinary, collaborative efforts to turn the tide of obesity in children and adolescents.

Efficacy of a church-based intervention on cardiovascular risk reduction.

Lighten Up, a church-based lifestyle program, was developed in collaboration with the Christian community to decrease cardiovascular risk through lifestyle modification. One goal has been to reach the medically under-served in North Carolina and South Carolina. Lighten Up includes a baseline health check (week 1), eight educational sessions (weeks 2-9) combining study of scripture and health messages, a short-term health check (week 10), and a long-term health check (1 year).

Short-term impact of a church-based approach to lifestyle change on cardiovascular risk in African Americans.

While lifestyle modification decreases cardiovascular risk, there are barriers to lifestyle education in usual clinical practice, especially among the medically underserved. To address this gap, "Lighten Up," a church-based lifestyle program was developed in collaboration with the local African-American Christian community. Lighten Up includes a baseline health assessment (week 1), eight educational sessions (weeks 2-9) combining study of scripture and a health message, a short-term health check (week 10) and a long-term health check (week 52).

The effects of a high-protein, low-fat, ketogenic diet on adolescents with morbid obesity: body composition, blood chemistries, and sleep abnormalities.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and metabolic impact of a high-protein, low-carbohydrate, low-fat ketogenic diet (K diet) in the treatment of morbidly obese adolescents with initial weights of >200% of ideal body weight.

Methods: Six adolescents, aged 12 to 15 years, weighing an average of 147.8 kg (range, 120.