Your path to growing healthier generations starts at home.
Pennington Biomedical Research Center is pleased to introduce PATH (Positive Actions Towards Health), a comprehensive family-based program to help families manage their weight. PATH leads families through an interactive journey to health with a trained health coach, child-friendly lessons, and online tools with customizable features such as team avatars, support heroes, and goal-getter awards along the way!
Greaux Healthy's PATH program
PATH is a coach-led program that can be conducted in the primary-care setting. It includes core units which focus on nutrition, physical activity, habit changes, routine, family and community influences, and health behavior maintenance. PATH lesson plans use a child-friendly, evidence-based curriculum for monitoring and modifying food and physical activity. The program delivers intensive health behavior lifestyle treatment (IHBLT) for children and adolescents with overweight or obesity consistent with American Academy of Pediatrics clinical practice guidelines and United States Preventative Services Taskforce recommendations.
6-12
PATH is designed for families with children aged 6-12 years who have overweight or obesity.
26
The program consists of 26, 1-hour sessions.
6-12
PATH sessions are delivered over the course of 6-12 months.
Integrating Technology
Families who participate in PATH will either utilize a digital, cellular-enabled scale that syncs or manually enter both child and parent weight to graph their progress within the program’s website. The patented Weight Path Graph technology provides a “green” target zone and a “red” safety zone for parents/caregivers to view weight progress, along with a gamified graph for children to monitor progress with behavioral goals.
The gamified graph for children will have 2-3 behavioral goals that they track each week such as time spent being physically active, consistency with weight tracking, or limiting low nutrient foods.
The child-facing page of the program will reflect progress towards daily and weekly goals, and children will have a "trophy case" which will hold their stickers/awards for achieving weekly goals.
Parents will see their own weight loss or weight maintenance graph, as well as a pediatric weight loss or weight maintenance graph (depending on the child's age and BMI percentile).
Did you know?
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center scientists are at the forefront of scientific research and discovery, uncovering the best evidence available to treat childhood obesity.
- Intensive health behavior and lifestyle treatment (IHBLT) is the foundational guideline by the American Academy of Pediatrics for the treatment of childhood obesity.
- The Greaux Healthy Louisiana Provider Toolkit is available for more information on the evaluation and treatment of childhood obesity,
With over 35 years of expertise in evidence-based weight management from Pennington Biomedical Research Center, the PATH training and curriculum are built on proven best practices in obesity medicine. The program is shaped by insights from focus groups with parents and children across Louisiana, including families of color and those from low-income households, to ensure it's accessible and meets their needs.
PATH offers essential training on obesity treatment to specialized health coaches—such as dietitians, social workers, and other allied health professionals—and provides a series of lessons for families that create a comprehensive weight management program.
More about the program
The PATH program is conducted out of the primary care setting through a physician referral. Trained Coaches deliver the program to the referred child and at least one parent or caregiver. The program relies on all parties to work as a team to support positive health change.
Use the form below to connect with us and request a sample of program materials.
Yes, Pennington Biomedical Research Center provides on demand coach training and curriculum support.
Technical assistance is available to all PATH program coaches and clinics. In some cases, funding may be available to support implementation in select locations within Louisiana.
Download the Greaux Healthy Toolkit for Louisiana providers here and visit the AAP website.
Have additional questions? Use the form below to get in touch.
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