(NCQA: Washington) -- Two new measures focusing on obesity in children and adults highlight the additions to the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set, released recently for public comment by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Two other additions to the 2009 edition of HEDIS focus on care for older adults.

The estimated annual cost of obesity in the United States is $117 billion. Overweight children and adolescents are more likely to become obese as adults. Assessments of body mass index (BMI), or the ratio between a person’s weight and height, have been found to be more useful in predicting health risks than measuring weight alone. The new measures will assess how consistently physicians perform BMI assessments among adults and children; the measure for children also tracks counseling for nutrition and physical activity.

“The alarming rise in obesity rates in recent years has serious public health implications for the future. We need a comprehensive strategy for addressing obesity and NCQA is committed to playing a leading role,” says Margaret E. O’Kane, NCQA president.

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