The Preventive Cardiology program in the Department of Pediatrics at Boston Medical Center serves as a resource for patients up to age 21 and focuses on preventing, diagnosing, and treating hypertension and high cholesterol, ensuring that children stay healthy into adulthood. This multidisciplinary program is designed to make it as easy as possible for patients and their families to access an array of services in one place at one time. Our team guides and supports the lifestyle changes needed to reduce cardiovascular risk factors, with individual assessment by a dietician at every visit.
Available services include:
- One-on-one visits with a registered dietician
- Free, heart-healthy breakfast provided at visits
- Information about local programs and opportunities for children and teens to participate in physical activity at low or no cost
- Instruction on how to analyze food labels and build healthy shopping patterns geared towards reducing specific cardiovascular risk factors
- Referrals to BMC’s Preventive Food Pantry for heart-healthy foods
- Cooking classes held in BMC’s state-of-the art Teaching Kitchen
Podcast
In this episode of Boston Med Talks, the Boston Medical Center podcast, pediatric cardiologist Sharon E. O’Brien, MD, discusses lifestyle changes to reduce cardiovascular risk factors, the offerings of the pediatric Preventive Cardiology program, and additional services available at Boston Medical Center.