Health Care Policy

Health Care Policy

Health Care Policy

Introduction

Obesity in children and adolescents is a serious issue with many health and social consequences that continue into adulthood. Implementing prevention programs and getting a better understanding for children is important to controlling the obesity epidemic. Obesity-related diseases cost the United States economy more than $100 billion every year. According to James Marks, M.D., M.P.H., Director, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 45 percent increases per capita health care costs by $732 per year and for Medicaid by $864 per capita per year. It costs each taxpayer $175 to per year to cover the health care costs of obesity in the Medicaid population.Inactivity and poor diet cause at least 300,000 deaths in a year in the United States. Only tobacco causes more preventable deaths. (Ortega 2007)Almost half of young people aged 12-21 and more than a third of high school students do not participate in vigorous physical activity on a regular basis. Less than one in four children gets 20 minutes of vigorous activity every day of the week. Less than one in four get at least half an hour of any type of physical activity every single day. Physical activity peaks in the tenth grade, at eleven hours per week as the median, and then begins a steady decline that is likely to continue into the adult years. In all grade levels, girls get significantly less activity than boys. Childhood obesity may lead to increased risk of the following conditions/chronic disease in adults: Heart disease Hypertension Breast cancer Back disorders Liver disease Orthopedic problems Diabetes Gallbladder disease Skin disorders2 Sleep Apnea End State Renal Disease

Population Factors

More children in this country are overweight than every before, about double the number who were heavy in the late 1970s. (Kolata 2007)The latest statistics are part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and show: 13 percent of children ages 6-11 were overweight in 1999, up from 11 percent in 1988-1994, and 7 percent in the late 1970s.4 14 percent of children ages 12 to 19 were overweight in 1999, up from 11 percent in 1988-1994 and 5 percent in the late 1970s.

Identification

A measurement called percentile of Body Mass Index (BMI) is used to identify overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the supplier of national growth charts and prevalence data, avoids using the word “obesity” for children and adolescents. Instead, they suggest two levels of overweight: 1) the 85th percentile an “at risk” level, and the 95th percentile, the more severe level. The 95th percentile: Corresponds to a BMI of 30, which is the marker for obesity in adults.(Bessesen 2008)The 85th percentile corresponds to the overweight reference point for adult, which is a BMI of 25 is recommended as a marker for children and adolescents to have an in-depth medical ...