Inside Human Sciences

Bratton lives, promotes Trim Kids program

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May 27, 2008

Patsy Bratton. Contributed photo.

By Carrie Boyd, Student Journalist

"I was one of the first Trim Kids," said Patsy Bratton, freshman in child, adult and family services and unofficial spokesperson for the child weight loss program, Trim Kids, in Iowa.

"[My pediatrician] heard about the program, and I had been struggling with my weight since the age of six," said Bratton, who was 14 at the time her doctor recommended the program.

Des Moines' Mercy Medical Center pediatrician, Janet Graeve, took Bratton “under her wing and it all spiraled from there," Bratton said.

Children who are in the 90 to 95 percentile of the height and weight ratio are eligible to join the Trim Kids program, which targets children ages 6 to 18 years old.

"Their doctor recommends them and they get put in the program," Bratton said. "It's a small fee and the whole family goes to meetings and works with the dieticians and the YMCA directors. It's just a fun program."

The goal of the juvenile weight loss program is to "change your lifestyle and your family's lifestyle," Bratton said. "It's about a healthy change in your whole family. [With] my family, the first thing we had to do was clean out the cupboards and get rid of all the stuff that we didn't need."

Parents also attended seminars on the dangers of emotional eating, depression coupled with emotional eating and fast food. Most of the tips in the structured program for children involve not overeating, cutting down on high calorie snack foods, fast food and soda, and increasing activity.

"There are weekly meetings and they recommend you go to three seasonal cycles and then it clicks in your head," Bratton said.

The Trim Kids program in Iowa branched from Melinda S. Sothern's book, "Trim Kids: The Proven 12-Week Plan That Has Helped Thousands of Children Achieve a Healthier Weight."

"Dr. Graeve took [the book and the program] to Des Moines," Bratton said. "It was originally a Mercy and 3-A-Day Milk Campaign. Then the Y took it up afterwards and now it's in five different Y's around the Des Moines area.

"Whenever they need someone to speak for Trim Kids, they call me up," Bratton said, who has spoken at national conferences at Wells Fargo Arena, as well as multiple newspaper and television interviews.

Bratton recently received the American Heart Association's individual "From the Heart" award for her efforts with Trim Kids.

"They pick someone who displays what the American Heart Association was trying to address [that year] and this year's focus was obesity," Bratton said."I want to become the director [of Trim Kids] someday," Bratton said.

Previously a dietetics major, Bratton said her new child, adult and family services major has basic core classes, but allows for a lot more electives. As recommended by her mentors in Trim Kids, Bratton plans to take courses in public speaking and proposal writing to further assist her in her goal to become the director of Trim Kids.

Bratton is currently working with the Trim Kids program and Mercy Hospital to create a summer camp for the 2009 summer for children and their families to show kids that "losing weight can be fun.”

Trim Tots is a new, similar program focused on overweight children from age two to five.