Children's Hospital Initiatives Prevent Childhood Illnesses

Kids and families look to children’s hospitals when they’re sick or injured. But pediatric facilities do much more than treat acute illnesses, injuries, and complex conditions.

Children's hospitals also play a major role in keeping kids healthy.

By leading programs and partnerships designed to prevent chronic conditions, children’s hospitals address threats to children’s health and reverse trends related to chronic childhood diseases.

Children’s hospitals help prevent chronic disease

Children’s hospitals provide care for nearly half of all hospitalized children and the majority of those with chronic or complex conditions. They are regional hubs for specialized pediatric care and often serve as safety nets for underserved populations, with Medicaid funding more than half of their services.

These hospitals also lead community-based wellness and prevention programs, often in partnership with federal and state agencies, private insurers, and philanthropic organizations. Hospital-led initiatives target major chronic conditions, including childhood obesity, diabetes, cancer, mental health, and asthma.

1. Childhood obesity 

Children’s hospitals lead efforts in obesity prevention through education, case management, and access to specialists. Programs include e-learning courses, nutrition classes, and behavioral support. However, limited reimbursement from Medicaid and private insurers hinders program expansion.

A program at Children’s Health Dallas helps kids and families learn about healthy food choices and cook tasty meals in a fun, community context to kickstart healthy habits. 

2. Diabetes 

Hospitals are addressing diabetes through prevention clinics, food pharmacy programs, and community partnerships like gardens and culinary classes. These initiatives promote healthy eating and lifestyle changes. NIH-funded research is also underway to understand why some obese children develop diabetes while others do not.

A program at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital address childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes through a unique soccer league called Goal4Health. 

3. Childhood cancer 

Despite declining mortality rates, cancer remains the leading disease-related cause of death in children. Children’s hospitals provide comprehensive care, including survivorship programs, nutritional education, and therapeutic summer camps. Clinical trials and NIH partnerships have significantly improved survival rates, but continued research funding is essential.

This fact sheet outlines the unique aspects of pediatric medical research and provides specific examples of innovative research that’s improving long-term health outcomes for kids.

4. Youth mental health 

Hospitals are integrating behavioral health into primary care, deploying mobile units, and partnering with schools. Programs like Zero Suicide have screened tens of thousands of children, identifying those at risk and connecting them with care.

Akron Children’s Hospital integrates behavioral health therapists into primary care clinics to ensure patients are seen quickly and care is coordinated among providers.

5. Asthma

Hospitals treat asthma while also addressing the root causes of the condition through partnerships with schools and community-based organizations. Programs help improve environmental factors in schools, homes, and other places where kids spend time.

A school-based program led by ECU Health Maynard Children’s Hospital has spent 30 years providing asthma education, testing, and treatment for children in rural North Carolina.

Addressing the root causes of childhood chronic illness

Children’s hospitals target the root causes of childhood chronic disease like these through care, prevention, research, and community engagement. By focusing on the environmental drivers of health, dietary factors, emotional well-being, vaccination uptake, and healthy lifestyle programs, our member hospitals are helping to ensure healthier futures for all children.

In response to the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s report on child health, the Children’s Hospital Association highlights the ways children’s hospitals are helping children live longer and healthier lives by confronting the root causes of chronic illnesses.