Dr. Teri Bourdeau

http://www.healthsciences.okstate.edu/college/clinical/behavioral/bourdeau.cfm

Bio

I am a clinical assistant professor of behavioral sciences and director of the Behavioral Health Clinics at Oklahoma State University's Center for Health Sciences. In my clinical work, I specialize in health-related behavior change. I'm a founding team member of the Family Health and Nutrition Clinic at OSU-CHS and work with other healthcare providers to help patients make lasting lifestyle changes to improve their health. I'm especially interested in educating people and giving presentations on the importance of behaviors, emotions, and thinking on physical health.

Posts by Dr. Teri Bourdeau:

Hunger and Your Child – What’s a Parent to Do?

A recent blog post from a pediatrician, which was also mentioned on the New York Times’ “Motherlode” blog, addressed the question“What do I do if my chubby kids say they are hungry?” Dr. Meeker raised some valid points in her post—what to do about your child eating too much food and why it’s important to set limits on screen time and provide easy access to healthy foods, among other things.

But Dr. Meeker may have provided some misguided recommendations when suggesting how to talk to children about their feelings of hunger. How we talk to our kids about hunger and help them understand it is not as simple as one may think. In fact, more harm than good might happen when people charge in and take total control over a child’s hunger without considering the child’s feelings, self-esteem or how the child thinks of herself.

Filed under: Children, Lifestyle & Behaviors, Parenting, Weight Issues | 6 Comments »

How Dads Can Get Their Kids Moving and Active

We know Dads are important for many reasons, but they can serve a vital role in helping families become and stay healthy. This might seem like a given to those dads who have coached a tee-ball team or the ones who play outside with their kids.

But health goes beyond athletics and sports. Good health is overall well-being, which includes good nutrition, adequate activity and exercise, and good emotional, social, and intellectual skills.

Some children are not natural athletes, do not want to participate in organized sports and cringe at the word “exercise.” But there are ways to motivate your kids and teens to be more active and like it.

Filed under: Children, Lifestyle & Behaviors, Parenting | 1 Comment »

Getting Families Healthy and Preventing Childhood Obesity

Family health is important! This sounds simple and obvious, right? If it was that simple, two-thirds of our population would not be considered overweight or obese. That number doesn’t include the people who weigh more than they would like or who feel uncomfortable about their bodies, eating habits and level of physical activity.

Filed under: Children, Lifestyle & Behaviors, Parenting, Weight Issues | 2 Comments »