Evidence-based childhood obesity treatment: Improving access and systems of care

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 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Reversing the trend of childhood obesity is critical to prevent the development of related disease, improve quality of life, and decrease the cost burden associated with a lifetime of excess weight. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends clinicians screen children aged 6 years and older for obesity and offer or refer them to intensive counseling and behavioral interventions to promote improvements in weight status. As a grade B recommendation, these obesity treatment services are indicated for provision by providers and coverage without cost-sharing by Medicare and qualified commercial health plans. However, access to evidence-based treatment for childhood obesity remains limited. Barriers, including lack of capacity for effective delivery within the current health care system and inadequate reimbursement, impede widespread implementation of USPSTF recommended treatment. To advance evidence-based care and effectively treat childhood obesity, stakeholders must work collaboratively to develop feasible, acceptable, effective, and sustainable care delivery models supporting the USPSTF recommendations and create a unified strategy for policy change regarding reimbursement. We propose a small conference to serve as an intensive meeting of thought-leaders and stakeholders with shared investment in increasing access to effective, evidence-based childhood obesity treatment. The proposed conference will be co-sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight, the Pediatric Obesity Section of The Obesity Society, and the Institute of Medicine's Innovation Collaborative on Integrated Clinical and Social Systems for the Prevention and Management of Obesity. To strengthen the reach and impact of conference outcomes, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Psychological Association will act as dissemination partners. Through this conference, stakeholders will assess priorities in the field of childhood obesity treatment, present promising practices and model programs, and form a collaborative strategy to: 1) improve systems of care to advance implementation of the USPSTF recommendations for childhood obesity; and 2) increase access to and payment for comprehensive and high-quality evidence-based obesity treatment. This multidisciplinary group of stakeholders will produce and disseminate a toolkit for the implementation of the USPSTF recommendations for childhood obesity to advance translation of evidence-based treatment, including recommendations and resources for care delivery and reimbursement policy. The toolkit will be disseminated to the broader community of childhood obesity stakeholders, including researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the public, through publication, presentation at national meetings and via targeted educational webinars, and use of partner organization member networks and advocacy channels. As the obesity epidemic persists, this timely and important conference will be a key step toward synergizing efforts to facilitate greater access to care, improve health outcomes for children, and reduce childhood obesity.