We are pleased to welcome Dr. Eduard Mogas Viñals, the lead of the Paediatric COM at Vall Hebron Children’s University Hospital in Spain. This multidisciplinary COM team comprises five members: one full-time paediatric nutritionist and one psychologist, two part-time paediatric endocrinologists, and a part-time rehabilitation expert. This team works closely with the adult obesity unit at Vall Hebron, which is also an accredited EASO COM. Collaborations extend further to nephrology, cardiology, the sleep unit, hepatology, and clinical genetics in the hospital, ensuring a robust multidisciplinary approach to paediatric obesity care. This COM works to ensure families receive a personalised combination of obesity management approaches tailored to their needs.
Welcome, Eduard! What news from your COM’s activities during the past 12 months can you share?
Over the past year, we’ve celebrated several key achievements, including our accreditation as an EASO COM in March 2024. We expanded our team by welcoming a paediatric psychologist and a rehabilitation specialist, enabling us to enhance activities in these areas. This progress also positions us to implement obesity-focused physical group therapies in the near future. Additionally, we’ve begun enrolling patients in the Surmount 2 Trial, which examines the effects of tirzepatide in adolescents. This marks an exciting step forward in our research efforts.
Can you tell us about your approaches to obesity management in your COM?
Our multidisciplinary approach integrates nutritional therapy, psychological support, and behavioural interventions tailored to each patient. Nutritional care emphasises shared decision-making, promoting balanced diets and healthy lifestyles without imposing strict dietary restrictions. Eligible families participate in three-month group programs combining cognitive-behavioural therapy with practical topics like nutrition, body image, and physical activity, followed by regular follow-ups at three, six, and twelve months. Psychological support begins with a comprehensive assessment to identify emotional or behavioural challenges, including anxiety, depression, or eating behaviours. Group therapy is offered to those it is appropriate for, while others receive individualised care. Families are guided on sleep hygiene, reducing screen time, and fostering self-esteem and a supportive family environment. Cognitive-behavioural therapy is used to enhance emotional regulation, problem-solving, and healthier habits. Patients with syndromic, genetic, or secondary obesity receive highly individualised care, including assessments of dietary intake, emotional well-being, and quality of life using self-administered tools. This inclusive, family-focused approach ensures comprehensive, person-centred care.
You recently attended the EASO COMs Summit in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, held in November 2024. Could you please tell us about your experience there?
It was a beautiful experience for several reasons. First, the paediatric programme focused on what and how we currently deliver as childhood obesity care and treatment, allowing us to compare protocols and perspectives between countries and draw conclusions about where to direct our future efforts. There are also unanswered questions about pharmacological therapies in children that we need to address collectively. Additionally, we presented a complex case study from our COM, received valuable feedback from colleagues, and gained insights that helped us decide whether to recommend bariatric surgery to the patient and their family.
Does your COM engage with the wider community and/or health system around awareness, prevention, and treatment of obesity?
Yes, we are actively engaged with the wider community and health system. We have implemented a referral system to streamline obesity care and ensure continuity between primary care and our multidisciplinary team. Additionally, we offer teaching lessons for primary care professionals to enhance their understanding and management of obesity at the community level. These initiatives ensure that our approach is well-integrated into the broader healthcare system, supporting effective and comprehensive obesity care from the ground up.
Thank you. To finish, please could you briefly describe the main goals and plans for your COM during the next 3-5 years?
Our primary challenge will be maintaining excellence in care while meeting the needs of our entire population. To achieve this, we plan to increase our human resources and continue demonstrating the success of our multidisciplinary approach to stakeholders and the wider community. We also look forward to participating in new clinical trials involving paediatric obesity drugs and analysing their real-world effects, both short- and long-term. Finally, we are collaborating with surgeons to update our bariatric surgery protocols for adolescents, ensuring alignment with the latest clinical guidelines and practices.
This edition highlights the Paediatric COM at Vall Hebron Children’s University Hospital, led by Dr. Eduard Mogas Viñals. The team adopts a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to paediatric obesity management, integrating nutritional therapy, psychological support, and behavioural interventions tailored to each patient. Dr. Mogas Viñals shared the COM’s recent milestones, including accreditation as an EASO COM, participation in the Surmount 2 trial, and participation in the recent EASO COMs Summit. Looking ahead, this COM aims to expand resources, participate in clinical trials for paediatric obesity drugs, and update bariatric surgery protocols for adolescents. Thank you, Dr. Mogas Viñals!