Checking if Adolescent’s Weight Could Cause Health Problems
2022-23 Edition
Why is it important to screen adolescents for a healthy weight?
One in five adolescents is overweight in the United States. It is the most common childhood health problem. Being overweight or obese is preventable and treatable. Obesity can lead to many lifelong physical and social problems including depression, eating disorders, diabetes, and heart disease.
How should doctors conduct healthy weight screening during adolescence?
Doctors should determine your adolescent’s “body mass index” or BMI. A BMI is one way to measure body fat and it is calculated based on your adolescent’s height and weight. Your doctor should use your adolescent’s BMI as a starting point to help him/her establish a plan to eat more fruits and vegetables and be physically active.
Talk with your doctor and health plan to find out what other services are available to help your child eat healthy, keep active and maintain a healthy weight. Many health plans offer additional support and resources to help children stay well. These additional services for children and their parents may be educational materials (online and in print), classes or support groups, or phone counseling. Some health plans offer weight management programs.
What do the scores mean?
The scores show how well each health plan did at making sure adolescents ages 12 to 17 had their BMI checked using their height and weight when they had a visit with their regular doctor during the past year. The higher score means more adolescents got the right care at the right time.
The scores are based on information from at least 30 health plan member administrative records in 2021. Some plans also use patient medical records which are often more complete and result in higher scores. Plans that decide not to use medical records are likely to have lower scores.
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The source for data contained in this publication is Quality Compass®2022 and is used with the permission of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Quality Compass® 2022 includes certain Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) data. Any data display, analysis, interpretation, or conclusion based on these data is solely that of the authors, and NCQA specifically disclaims responsibility for any such display, analysis, interpretation, or conclusion. Quality Compass is a registered trademark of NCQA. CAHPS® is a registered trademark of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
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