Interventions for High Body Mass Index in Children and Adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

Authors

Wanda K. Nicholson, George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Michael Silverstein, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
John B. Wong, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
David Chelmow, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond.
Tumaini Rucker Coker, University of Washington, Seattle.
Esa M. Davis, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore.
Katrina E. Donahue, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Carlos Roberto Jaén, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio.
Marie Krousel-Wood, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Sei Lee, University of California, San Francisco.
Li Li, University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
Goutham Rao, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
John M. Ruiz, University of Arizona, Tucson.
James Stevermer, University of Missouri, Columbia.
Joel Tsevat, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio.
Sandra Millon Underwood, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Sarah Wiehe, Indiana University, Bloomington.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

6-18-2024

Journal

JAMA

DOI

10.1001/jama.2024.11146

Abstract

IMPORTANCE: Approximately 19.7% of children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years in the US have a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile for age and sex, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts from 2000. The prevalence of high BMI increases with age and is higher among Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Alaska Native, and non-Hispanic Black children and adolescents and children from lower-income families. OBJECTIVE: The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) commissioned a systematic review to evaluate the evidence on interventions (behavioral counseling and pharmacotherapy) for weight loss or weight management in children and adolescents that can be provided in or referred from a primary care setting. POPULATION: Children and adolescents 6 years or older. EVIDENCE ASSESSMENT: The USPSTF concludes with moderate certainty that providing or referring children and adolescents 6 years or older with a high BMI to comprehensive, intensive behavioral interventions has a moderate net benefit. RECOMMENDATION: The USPSTF recommends that clinicians provide or refer children and adolescents 6 years or older with a high BMI (≥95th percentile for age and sex) to comprehensive, intensive behavioral interventions. (B recommendation).

APA Citation

Nicholson, Wanda K.; Silverstein, Michael; Wong, John B.; Chelmow, David; Coker, Tumaini Rucker; Davis, Esa M.; Donahue, Katrina E.; Jaén, Carlos Roberto; Krousel-Wood, Marie; Lee, Sei; Li, Li; Rao, Goutham; Ruiz, John M.; Stevermer, James; Tsevat, Joel; Underwood, Sandra Millon; and Wiehe, Sarah, "Interventions for High Body Mass Index in Children and Adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement" (2024). GW Authored Works. Paper 5083.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/5083

Department

Prevention and Community Health