Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

Childhood obesity is a growing concern worldwide. It has become a problem in every country where there is data. Children who are born preterm or small for gestational age (SGA) are at higher risk for developing childhood obesity than their peers who are born on time and of normal weight. This presentation will discuss the impact on the development of obesity which has long term health consequences such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, and will also discuss its impact on the development of food allergies and other inflammatory diseases. The eating habits during the perinatal period and breastfeeding and their impact on the development of obesity will also be described. We will explore the impact of individual nutrition counseling on childhood obesity compared to group counseling and virtual counseling. Finally, evidenced based strategies to prevent the onset of obesity during pregnancy, breastfeeding and childhood will be presented.

Biography

Theresa Loomis completed her BS at University of Rhode Island; MS and Doctorate Degree in Clinical Nutrition at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She is a Registered Dietitian (RD) with 16 years of experience in Pediatric Nutrition. She has conducted presentations at local and national level in number of areas including the impact of Registered Dietitians in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Combating Childhood Obesity and Pediatric Food Allergies and Treating Picky Eating. Her doctoral research focuses on “Impact of standardized feeding guidelines for low birth weight infants” which is recently published in Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. Her current research interest includes “The impact of nutrition counseling on childhood obesity, and the eating habits of picky eaters as well as the impact of role modeling on the eating habits and weight status of college students”. She is an Assistant Professor at SUNY Oneonta and Director of the Master’s Program and Dietetics Internship. She also works as a Pediatric Dietitian in a pediatrician’s office counseling children who struggle with obesity and has owned her own private practice since 2010.

Email: Theresa.Loomis@oneonta.edu