Buffalo mom Cheryl Clark knows what it's like to worry about her child's wellness -- and be frustrated about how to change unhealthy habits.

That's why Clark and her son, Troy, 12, were thrilled to learn about a new fitness program started by the doctors at Allentown Pediatrics.

It's a walk in the park -- literally.

The pediatricians at Allentown are inviting their young patients, parents and family members to meet them each Wednesday evening during the summer months for a group walk around Delaware Park's nearly 2-mile-long Ring Road.

Rain or shine? Yup.

Clark and her son have made it to nearly every walk so far.

"I was immediately interested," said Clark, who lives on Forman Street. "We have been battling obesity in our family. I am trying to motivate [Troy], to inspire him. I've found out he works better with the buddy system -- he needs to be motivated, to be pumped up.

"So this is the perfect opportunity."

At Allentown Pediatrics, a practice started seven years ago by doctors Daryl Ehlenfield and Deborah Raiken, the program is a brand-new initiative.

Raiken got the idea for the walking fitness program from a newspaper article she read in Ohio a couple of years ago.

Transporting the concept to Buffalo, Raiken decided she wanted to encourage her patients by a good example -- not just words and statistics.

"We are walking with them, both the pediatricians plus most of our staff," said Raiken. "The idea was to get people out, and to encourage them to be physically active. We are

modeling the behavior we want to see."

The reason for the program is simple. Childhood and teenage obesity is "rampant," in Buffalo and nationwide, and the troubling trend toward physical unhealthiness among American children is visible even in a single practice like Allentown, Raiken said.

"We have a huge problem with childhood obesity. It's just rampant," she said. "We see it several times a week, we see patients who are very obese, even morbidly obese."

"Trying to get people to make major lifestyle changes is difficult," the doctor added. "We are trying to get people to change their behavior more and more."

Ehlenfield, co-founder of the Delaware Avenue practice, said that children and adults who venture into physical fitness activities are usually amazed by how much better they feel -- and therefore keep up with their programs.

"I know from personal experience with working out ... once you feel better or more fit, you do not want to feel differently," he said. "Your life is just better. But sometimes people don't even know that."

The Allentown doctors are keeping tallies of attendance and planning to award prizes at the end of the summer to some of those who were regular attendees.

The practice, which belongs to the Catholic Independent Practice Association of Western New York, an association of 845 independent physicians from Erie and Niagara counties, has been supported by the organization -- which emphasizes "bottom-up" health care improvements, including the education and involvement of patients in their own care -- in starting the program.

Other supporters include the Jewish Community Center; Fidelis; Darien Lake; Wegmans; Tops; the Lexington Co-Op, and Campus Wheel Works.

Clark, the Buffalo mom, said she is already impressed by the changes she has seen in her son since they started the walking routine.

"It's a battle," she said. "It's a process. Some days we fail, but we have to get on the horse and try again."

Raiken said she is hearing lots of positive feedback, just like Clark's, about the new program.

"The people that have been there just really enjoy it," she said. "They think it's very special."

getwell@buffnews.comnull