Health Care Strategies for Obesity

At a glance

Health care providers, health insurance plans, and health care delivery systems play an important role in preventing and treating obesity and related chronic diseases. This page can help providers: find up-to-date guidelines, connect to resources on growth monitoring and evidence-based obesity care, and learn more about reimbursement and other important topics.

10 icons of health care images, such as a stethoscope and medications.

Overview

Health care providers, health insurance plans, health care delivery systems, and information technologies (IT) all play an important role in preventing and treating obesity. Providers can use evidence-based strategies, including:

  • Routinely screening patients for obesity.
  • Evaluating patients for obesity-related diseases.
  • Implementing or referring to effective treatment.

Health plans can support obesity care through comprehensive coverage and reimbursement strategies. Health IT can enhance quality improvement efforts for obesity care and population-based activities, such as surveillance.

New Obesity Diagnosis Codes Released October 1, 2024‎

New and improved ICD-10 diagnosis codes for obesity are available to use. The new codes provide a more accurate way to classify obesity and severity of obesity. They also aim to reduce stigma and improve obesity care for patients of all ages. Learn more using this toolkit.

Health care delivery system‎

A health care delivery system is the organization of people, institutions, and resources to deliver health care services to meet the health needs of a target population, whether a single-provider practice or a large health care system.

Learn more

Screening for Child Obesity
Recommendations for assessing pediatric body mass index (BMI) and social determinants of health.
Evaluation and Treatment for Child Obesity
Components and resources for comprehensive evaluation and treatment for pediatric obesity.
Evidence-Based Guidelines for Child Obesity
Clinical recommendations for screening children for BMI and referral to obesity programs.
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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
  • Sharifi M, Block JP. The urgency of expanding access to effective treatment for childhood obesity. Childhood Obesity. 2021;17(S1):S3–S4. doi:10.1089/chi.2021.29014
  • Piña IL, Cohen PD, Larson DB, et al. A framework for describing health care delivery organizations and systems. Am J Public Health. 2015;105(4):670–679. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.301926