Doctors turn to blood pressure tests in kids, BMI tests in adults to fight obesity

Doctors and insurers are considering how best to combat obesity in America including screening kids early via blood pressure checks and using body mass index tests in adults to monitor weight and potential problems.

NPR: Doctors' Due Diligence: Measuring Kids' Blood Pressure
There have been hints that the obesity epidemic's rise has slowed a bit among certain populations, but for the most part, it continues to dominate American health. One third of children and teenagers are now overweight or obese. And researchers forecast as many as half of our nation's population could be obese -- not overweight but obese -- by 2030 (Neighmond, 5/14).

Kaiser Health News: Doctors And Insurers Are Key To Fighting Obesity
Just over 40 percent of adult patients in commercial HMOs had documented BMI measurements in 2009 and 2010, according to a survey by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, an organization that evaluates health plans. That figure falls to 12 percent for patients in commercial PPOs, a more common type of plan (Graham, 5/12). 

Georgia Health News: The Burden Of Obesity: Film Lays It On The Line 
Vivia Armstrong responded to an ad about obesity a couple of years ago. At the time, Armstrong, living in southwest Atlanta, knew all about weight problems. Being heavy is the only kind of life she has ever known. She described her struggle to GHN in an interview (Miller, 5/11).