Health plans' role in preventing overweight in children and adolescents

The increasing prevalence of overweight children and adolescents in the United States threatens the well-being of a vast segment of this population. This paper examines how U.S. health plans can promote evidence-based behavioral-change strategies by directly intervening in medical settings and by supporting efforts to modify the environments in which young people live, study, and play. We describe a variety of innovative initiatives launched in recent years by health plans to address overweight among children and adolescents. Despite gaps in the evidence base, enough is now known to support aggressive steps to control this important public health problem.