New Obesity Projects Look to Improve Childhood Prevention and Treatment Programs

NICHQ is working with the Institute for Medicaid Innovation (IMI) to reduce childhood obesity and improve treatment plans among Medicaid recipients. 

Over the course of two projects, known as the Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment (CHOPT) projects, NICHQ will conduct a series of face-to-face interviews with families about how obesity programs affect their health and convene a meeting of CHOPT stakeholders, including healthcare providers and families, to discuss childhood obesity and how to best address it in this targeted population. The goal of the projects is to identify evidence-based, best practice innovations for Medicaid recipients to maintain or achieve a healthy weight.

“Family voices are the most important ones to have in any children’s health project,” says Meghan Johnson, MSc, director of Programs at NICHQ and a member National Advisory Committee for CHOPT. “Hearing directly from families will allow the IMI and CHOPT partners to understand what programs and practices should be used in more communities to better address childhood obesity.”

The face-to-face interviews with families about the impact of childhood obesity programs will be used to identify trends and themes in health outcomes for the families and their children. The findings will help inform the creation of a toolkit of innovative, effective practices for childhood obesity to be discussed at the CHOPT advisory meeting. 

“Medicaid obesity programs are ultimately meant to serve families and support them in creating healthy lifestyles,” says Sabrina Selk, associate director of Applied Research and Evaluation at NICHQ. “These projects will provide insight into what types of programs work for families so they can hopefully be adapted and applied to larger communities.”