Childhood Obesity and the Relationship to Well-Child Visits

Trends during the past 20 years have revealed a dramatic increase in childhood obesity in the United States. At present, approximately nine million children over 6 years of age are considered obese According to American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) the protocol for obesity care for youth is to monitor the body mass index (BMI) routinely (at least annually) and offer appropriate counseling and guidance to children and their families. A report in the literature indicated that the number of children attending yearly well-child visits that include measurement of BMI is well below the AAP recommendation. The dramatic increase in childhood obesity raises the question of what is the healthcare provider's level of involvement in prevention, identification, and treatment of childhood obesity, and the prevalence of childhood obesity. The purpose of this retrospective exploratory design was to examine the number and content of well-child visits in children 6-11 years of age and describe the difference in attendance and content of the healthcare visit based on type of provider.