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Screening and Referral for Childhood Obesity: Adherence to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation

Omoye E Imoisili1, Alyson B Goodman2, Carrie A Dooyema2

  • 1Epidemic Intelligence Service, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.

American Journal of Preventive Medicine
|December 22, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Few clinicians know about recommended childhood obesity weight management programs. While most screen children, only half refer them, highlighting a need to boost awareness and referrals for effective obesity intervention.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Pediatrics
  • Clinical Practice Guidelines

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern requiring effective clinical interventions.
  • The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening children aged 6+ for obesity and referral to intensive weight management programs.
  • Understanding clinician awareness and adherence to these recommendations is crucial for program success.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess clinician awareness of USPSTF-recommended weight management programs for pediatric obesity.
  • To evaluate clinician adherence to screening and referral recommendations for childhood obesity.
  • To identify provider and practice characteristics associated with weight management program referrals.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study utilizing data from the 2017 DocStyles web-based survey.
  • Analysis included 1,023 clinicians seeing pediatric patients.
  • Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associations between clinician characteristics and referral practices.

Main Results:

  • Only 24.6% of clinicians were aware of community weight management programs meeting USPSTF criteria.
  • While 83.6% screened children for obesity frequently, only 53.5% referred patients to weight management programs.
  • Referral rates were higher among female clinicians and those serving middle-income populations; lower among those without teaching hospital privileges.

Conclusions:

  • Low awareness of recommended weight management programs hinders adherence to USPSTF guidelines.
  • Approximately half of clinicians refer pediatric patients with obesity, indicating a gap in care.
  • Interventions to increase clinician awareness and facilitate referrals are necessary to combat the childhood obesity epidemic.
Abstract

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