Healthy Weight Service - For health professionals

Referrals

Inclusion Criteria apply and you should carefully assess if the child is eligible to receive care through the HWS. It is essential that all supporting information be provided to avoid delay in referral processing and increased wait times for families.

For more information about the Healthy Weight Service, download the Healthy Weight Service Health Fact sheet (PDF 188kb).

Raising the issue of weight

If you would like assistance on talking with families about weight in a sensitive way, the Better Health Company offer free online training for health professionals, and Novo Nordisk have developed a brochure Rethink Obesity Education to assist with initial conversations and helping patients over time.

Inclusion criteria

Referrals must include relevant measurements and blood investigations/evidence of obesity related comorbidities.

Children and adolescents (0-15 years)

BMI z-score ≥ 2.5

Pre-diabetes:

Fasting glucose ≥ 5.6 (impaired fasting glucose)
120-min OGTT glucose 7.8-11.0 (impaired glucose tolerance)

OR

BMI z-score ≥ 2.2 AND 2 co-morbidities:

Fasting insulin ≥ 16
Fasting dyslipidaemia: total cholesterol ≥ 6.0, HDL ≤ 0.8, LDL ≥ 2.9, Triglycerides ≥ 2.5
Hypertension (≥ 95th percentile)
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Psychosocial (i.e. depression or anxiety)
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
NAFLD or Hepatic Steatosis
Musculoskeletal complications

Please use Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Website for BMI z-score calculation.

Suggested investigations to determine eligibility:

FBP
fasting glucose
fasting insulin
HbA1c
fasting lipid profile
c peptide
iron studies
TFT’s
CRP
LFT’s including AST
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test if appropriate.