Who we are

The Lean Team was created in July 2007 as a partnership between the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Division of Adolescent Medicine, and the Charleston County School District (CCSD). Our goal is the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity through individual, family, and community change.

Obesity is a new problem for children and adolescents that has rapidly become the most important cause of current and future morbidity and mortality. In South Carolina, 1/4 of our children are obese, a prevalence that has increased over 200% during the last 30 years.

Obese children become obese adults suffering from the consequences of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors including obesity, high blood pressure, high blood lipids and diabetes. Metabolic syndrome increases the risk four-fold for stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease. Today, health care costs each man, woman, and child approximately $7,000 annually. A lifetime of obesity will cause significant escalation of that societal expense.

The Lean Team received initial funding from the Duke Endowment in 2006 to begin to address this, through participation in a collaborative project between the four Children's Hospitals in South Carolina called the South Carolina Institute for Childhood Obesity and Related Disorders (SCICORD). Subsequent support has been from many sources including the SC Department of Health and Human Services (2007-2008), the Food Lion Corporation (2007-2012), The Department of Defense (2010-2013), and the Boeing Company (2011-2012). This support has allowed us to create a collaborative program with the schools and community that has been successful in changing unhealthy policies, environments and behaviors in our schools, health care systems. physician practices, and our community.

Current projects include:

• Establishing and maintaining School Wellness Committees throughout CCSD.
• Training of school nurses, food service personnel, physical & health education teachers, and other school staff in implementation of school-wide health campaigns including classroom instruction. 
• Establishment of a school Wellness Challenge, resulting in policy and environmental change.
• Development and integration of healthier school lunch menu items including participating in a nationwide contest for healthier school lunches: Recipes for Healthy Kids Challenge.
• Health campaigns focused on improving nutritional intake and increasing physical activity, such as Deskercises and Children's Yoga.
• Training of physicians to "adopt" schools through serving on the school's wellness council.
• Provide anthropometric assessments including height, weight, BMI, and body fat. 
• Lead wellness partner in a community broadcasting campaign using social media, technology, education, and special events.
• Mentoring and support through weekly community-based walks on the Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge.

Download the Lean Team Brochure