North Carolina First Step Program: Improving Provider Assessment of Childhood Obesity

The United States' worsening prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity has stimulated substantial attention from the medical community. Several medical organizations have acknowledged that one of the most important steps in addressing the problem is early detection. Yearly overweight/obesity screening with Body Mass Index (BMI) for all children is standard of care, however, many practitioners are non-compliant with these guidelines. As a result, overweight/obese children are being underdiagnosed, causing missed opportunities for secondary prevention and early treatment. The North Carolina (N.C.) First Step Program is an intervention aimed at helping providers assess pediatric weight status more accurately and consistently. The program incorporates changes in multiple levels of the patient encounter and is designed to be both cost-effective and time-efficient. This Master's paper describes the planning and evaluation of the N.C. First Step Program.Master of Public Healt