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Health Care Strategies for Child Obesity

At a glance

Health care providers, health insurance plans, and health care delivery systems play an important role in preventing and treating child obesity and related chronic diseases. This page can help providers: find up-to-date guidelines, connect to resources on growth monitoring and evidence-based obesity care, and learn more about reimbursement and other important topics.

10 icons of health care images, such as a stethoscope and medications.

Overview

Health care providers, health insurance plans, health care delivery systems, and information technologies (IT) all play an important role in preventing and treating child obesity. Providers can use evidence-based strategies, including:

  • Routinely screening patients for obesity.
  • Evaluating patients for obesity-related diseases.
  • Implementing or referring to effective treatment.

Health plans can support obesity care through comprehensive coverage and reimbursement strategies. Health IT can enhance quality improvement efforts for obesity care and population-based activities, such as surveillance.

Health care delivery system‎

A health care delivery system is the organization of people, institutions, and resources to deliver health care services to meet the health needs of a target population, whether a single-provider practice or a large health care system.

Learn more

Photograph of a child in the doctor's office; the doctor is measuring the child's height.

Screening for Child Obesity

Recommendations for assessing pediatric body mass index (BMI) and social determinants of health.
pre-teenage girl talking with female healthcare provider

Evaluation and Treatment for Child Obesity

Components and resources for comprehensive evaluation and treatment for pediatric obesity.
female doctor and young male patient looking at clipboard

Evidence-Based Guidelines for Child Obesity

Clinical recommendations for screening children for BMI and referral to obesity programs.
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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
  • Sharifi M, Block JP. The urgency of expanding access to effective treatment for childhood obesity. Childhood Obesity. 2021;17(S1):S3–S4. doi:10.1089/chi.2021.29014
  • Piña IL, Cohen PD, Larson DB, et al. A framework for describing health care delivery organizations and systems. Am J Public Health. 2015;105(4):670–679. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.301926