As a pediatric nurse studying to be a family NP, I appreciated how "Motivational Interviewing for Adolescent Obesity" (Viewpoint, January) shed light on a new approach to treating this disease.
Current patient counseling methods are ineffective. We don't have enough time to spend teaching young patients better diet and exercise habits, and we may only see these patients for an office visit once a year or less.
It seems we'll eventually need specialists in the field of childhood obesity who are properly trained to counsel and track these patients'-and possibly their families'-progress. With health care costs on the rise, the issue of payment will no doubt be an obstacle, but the cost of treating obese children later in life will far exceed the cost of preventing their obesity now.
Deidre Dougherty, BSN, RN
Pittsburgh, PA