Prevalence of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity from 2003 to 2010 in an integrated health care delivery system

J Obes. 2013:2013:417907. doi: 10.1155/2013/417907. Epub 2013 Jul 18.

Abstract

An observational study of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) BMI coding distributions was conducted to ascertain the trends in overweight and obesity prevalence among KPNC members aged 2-19 between the periods of 2003-2005 and 2009-2010. A decrease in the prevalence of overweight (-11.1% change) and obesity (-3.6% change) and an increase in the prevalence of healthy weight (+2.7% change) were demonstrated. Children aged 2-5 had the greatest improvement in obesity prevalence (-11.5% change). Adolescents aged 12-19 were the only age group to not show a decrease in obesity prevalence. Of the racial and ethnic groups, Hispanics/Latinos had the highest prevalence of obesity across all age groups. The KPNC prevalence of overweight and obesity compares favorably to external benchmarks, although differences in methodologies limit our ability to draw conclusions. Physician counseling as well as weight management programs and sociodemographic factors may have contributed to the overall improvements in BMI in the KPNC population. Physician training, practice tools, automated BMI reminders and performance feedback improved the frequency and quality of physician counseling. BMI screening and counseling at urgent visits, in addition to well-child care visits, increased the reach and dose of physician counseling.

Publication types

  • Observational Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Age Distribution
  • Age Factors
  • Body Mass Index
  • California / epidemiology
  • Child
  • Child Health Services
  • Child, Preschool
  • Counseling
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Delivery of Health Care / statistics & numerical data*
  • Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Health Promotion
  • Humans
  • Logistic Models
  • Male
  • Odds Ratio
  • Overweight / diagnosis
  • Overweight / epidemiology*
  • Overweight / ethnology
  • Overweight / therapy
  • Pediatric Obesity / diagnosis
  • Pediatric Obesity / epidemiology*
  • Pediatric Obesity / ethnology
  • Pediatric Obesity / therapy
  • Prevalence
  • Time Factors
  • Young Adult