RWJ Hamilton's Shapedown® Program Receives Statewide Public Service Award
New Jersey Business & Industry Association Recognizes Work With Children At Risk For Developing Type 2 Diabetes
10/26/07
HAMILTON, NEW JERSEY - Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (RWJ Hamilton) is proud to accept the New Jersey Business &
Industry Association (NJBIA) Public Service Award at a recent ceremony. NJBIA chose to honor RWJ Hamilton for its Shapedown®
program which responds to the national epidemic of childhood obesity.
| RWJ Hamilton President and CEO Ellen Guarnieri accepts the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA) Public Service Award.
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Hospital Addresses Pressing Social Problem of Kids at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes
Since its inception in 2002, the Shapedown program has helped screed over 4,000 Mercer County children for health risks. RWJ Hamilton's Diabetes Self-Management Education Program reaches out to students in all schools in Mercer County that enroll children ages 8 to 13. The prevention program strikes at the root of the problem by encouraging healthy lifestyles and a healthy weight for the entire family.
"This program helps the hospital address the Type 2 diabetes epidemic in the two significant ways," says Trish Patsaros, a Certified Diabetes Educator at RWJ Hamilton. "We are able to provide the right tools to those in need as well as their families, and we can gather data to help identify risk factors for future generations."
Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes Are Worth Noting As Figures Rise
Approximately one-third of those screened within the last four years were found to be overweight or at risk for being overweight-one of the most common risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes. In the healthy body, the pancreas secretes the hormone insulin, which allows glucose to enter the cells and give them fuel. When a body develops diabetes, the pancreas either stops making insulin altogether (type 1 diabetes, formerly known as "juvenile diabetes") or it cannot make enough insulin or the insulin it makes cannot be used (type 2 diabetes). Type 2 diabetes was traditionally associated with older people, but more and more of today's youth are developing it.
According to the American Diabetes Association, risk factors for type 2 diabetes, in addition to overweight, include:
- family history in a parent, sibling, aunt or uncle
- ethnicity: there is a higher incidence among African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, South Pacific Islanders and Native Americans
- signs of insulin resistance or conditions associated with insulin resistance, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Kellie Schmitt, RN, MSN, Shapedown Coordinator, says "I am often overwhelmed with the social discrimination overweight children face. I feel it equals many of the physical health problems a child may develop. Children who are teased and bullied by peers or their family often develop low self-esteem and depression. Shapedown teaches overweight kids how to make lasting changes that improve their physical health and build their self confidence."
Families Offered Free Participation in Shapedown Program
Those identified at risk are invited to participate for free in Shapedown, a tremendously successful ten-week family weight management program coordinated by RWJ Hamilton's Diabetes Education department. The program uses exercise physiology, nutrition and behavioral techniques as well as sensitive, entertaining and practical family therapy. Families learn how to calculate their energy, protein, fat and carbohydrate needs, as well as how to plan menus and shop for food.
NJBIA Award Acknowledges RWJ Hamilton's Service to the Community
The New Jersey Business & Industry Association is widely regarded as the most credible and effective advocate for business in the state. It presents its Public Service Award "to companies for finding solutions to pressing social or economic problems in their communities and for demonstrating committed leadership in serving those communities." RWJ Hamilton's education sessions have reached over 4,200 Mercer County children and are going strong. For more information about Shapedown,
call HealthConnection at 609.584.5900 or visit rwjhamilton.org.
More About RWJ Hamilton
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (RWJ Hamilton) is the only New Jersey hospital to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Located in Hamilton Township, NJ, the hospital is part of the RWJ Health System and Network and is affiliated with the University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey-RWJ Medical School and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.
The RWJ Hamilton Health Care Corporation serves communities within a five-county area and includes an acute care hospital, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey Hamilton, three affiliated medical groups, seven Lakeview Child Centers, and the RWJ Hamilton Center for Health & Wellness, home of a medically-based fitness center and the hospital's extensive community education program. Over 1,900 hospital employees and 650 medical staff physicians share RWJ Hamilton's passion for Excellence Through Service.
For more information, visit www.rwjhamilton.org.
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