Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts   2005 Annual Report

Jump Up and Go!^SM

Since 1980, the proportion of six- to nineteen-year-olds who are overweight has tripled.⁸ What can we do to change the habits of children and adolescents so that they exercise and eat right?

Jump Up and Go! is part of the curriculum in 120 schools across the state.

The health trend among young people in the U.S. is a major concern for all of us. Children and adolescents are increasingly sedentary, even as they favor fast food and snacks loaded with fat, sugar, and salt.

In the past 20 years, the number of cases of type 2 diabetes has increased tenfold among children and adolescents.⁹ We have been on the forefront of fighting this dangerous trend. More than seven years ago, we developed Jump Up and Go! This pioneering program promotes physical activity, improves the nutritional habits of children, and encourages the development of healthy habits for a lifetime.

The program is an active partnership between families, school teachers and administrators, physicians, nurses, nutritionists, and peer educators. Today Jump Up and Go! programs operate in 120 middle schools in 70 communities throughout Massachusetts.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality convened a panel of national experts on childhood obesity from the Centers for Disease Control. The panel concluded that Jump Up and Go!'s 5-2-1 slogan is a powerful message for children.

• Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day
• Limit TV, computer, and video game use to less than two hours per day
• Get at least one hour of physical activity each day

Our work continues to evolve to meet the growing challenge of childhood obesity. We have developed the nation's first Clinician Toolkit, and distributed it to pediatricians statewide. The toolkit reinforces the importance of using Body Mass Index (BMI) to identify overweight children, and provides guidance about how to talk with parents and children about the importance of healthy eating and exercise.

"By partnering with community health centers and hospitals to provide desperately needed treatment and intervention programs for overweight youth, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is making an important investment in the health of children with its community benefits."
Barry Zuckerman, MD
Professor and Chair of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center

And, we are the first health plan in the nation to develop a quality incentive program that rewards pediatricians for identifying and counseling overweight children. Currently, we are collaborating with the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality to develop the first national guidelines and protocols for the identification and treatment of overweight children.

 

At Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, our commitment to health – be it the health of our members or the health of children in schools across Massachusetts – is the focus of all that we do.

 

 

Read further about our collaborative efforts…