Anthem Blue Cross Tackles Childhood Obesity in California Through Free BMI Workshops for Pediatric and Family Medicine Health Care...( Anthem Blue Cross has invested over...),Health

Anthem Blue Cross has invested over $7 million to date in its childhood

obesity initiative

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., April 8, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of national Public Health Week, Anthem Blue Cross, in collaboration with the California Child Health Disability (CCHD) Program, is hosting three Body Mass Index (BMI) training and promotion workshops in Pasadena, San Jose, and Bakersfield, California, for pediatric nurses and medical assistants.

The workshops will provide training in BMI measurement, documentation and tracking, and are designed for clinical staff (registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses and medical assistants) in pediatric and family physician offices. The BMI program consists of in-person and online training, as well as a training CD.

"BMI is increasingly recognized as an important vital sign in determining a child's health," said Dr. Harvinder Sareen, director of clinical programs for Anthem Blue Cross. "We are offering cutting-edge training opportunities to facilitate the care provided by primary care practices. BMI is a valuable part of the early assessment and detection of childhood obesity, and these trainings enable practices to intervene early with healthy lifestyle counseling and help arrest the childhood obesity epidemic."

The American Medical Association recommends BMI screening as an important first step in preventing obesity. However, only six states in the nation currently mandate BMI screening for children.

To help address this gap, Anthem Blue Cross developed and implemented a statewide BMI training program in April of 2006, sponsoring 48 BMI workshops in California over the last two years that have reached close to 2,500 clinical staff. Anthem Blue Cross has also trained over 300 school nurses and health educators across the state. Over 83 percent of the program's participants reported a better understanding of how to use BMI to screen for childhood
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