Childhood Obesity Awareness

Children’s Health and the Role of Schools

Learn more about children’s health, including obesity rates, suicide prevention, and how schools can support well-being.

• Obesity Rates: This National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, the latest research shows that nearly 1 in 5 children have obesity. A recent study found that obesity is a major contributor to chronic diseases, and other work links higher body fat percentage and lower physical fitness levels to poorer mental health in preadolescent children.

• School Meals and Food Insecurity: School meals can significantly reduce food insecurity and obesity and support physical and mental well-being. Research shows that school meals are among the most nutritious food sources for American youth. Several states– including Massachusetts, Michigan, and New Mexico–are providing free meals to all students.

• Mental Health: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now recommends that pediatricians screen children annually for behavioral health issues. Schools can also play a vital role in supporting mental health and may use artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool to help screen for children’s mental health issues. The American Psychological Association issued an advisory on the implications of AI for youth well-being, and experts warn of “AI Psychosis” and call for safeguards around chatbots.

• Federal Report on Children’s Health: The Trump Administration released the second edition of the "Make Our Children Healthy Again" report. The report outlines strategies to address chronic diseases through research, realigning incentives, increasing public awareness, and fostering private sector collaborations.

Resources & Initiatives

• Johns Hopkins University developed an infographic on how parents can support children’s health this back-to-school season.
• The AAP offers tools to combat food insecurity in children and tips for pediatricians.
• The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Cross North Carolina Foundation, and Elevance Health are working to address food insecurity in their states through supporting local food pantries, Food as Medicine programs, and partnerships with primary care Community Health Centers.
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness offers back-to-school resources to support children’s mental health.
• The Peer Initiative, supported by the Louisiana Blue Foundation, addresses teen suicide by connecting at-risk youth with peer support and licensed counseling.
• The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation strengthens student health through school-based screenings and services that support physical, dental, and mental health.

September is also Suicide Prevention Month. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Health Industry News

Updates on employer health plan costs, the effect of U.S. drug pricing on international markets, and new research on chronic pain.

• Cost of Care: A new Mercer survey shows that the total health benefit cost per employee is expected to rise 6.5% on average in 2026, driven by high utilization rates and ongoing price pressures. The survey also found that 59% of employers will make decisions to reduce plan costs in 2026. A recent article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reports that cost remains a barrier for low-income patients with cardiac amyloidosis due to high U.S. prices for drug therapies, which can range from $244,000 to nearly $500,000 per year.

• Drug Pricing: Eli Lilly plans to increase weight-loss drug Mounjaro’s drug prices in the United Kingdom, in order to comply with federal pressures and lower prices in the U.S. Recently, U.S. and European leaders agreed to a 15% tariff on some European goods brought into the U.S., including pharmaceuticals. However, President Trump is considering tariff exemptions for certain “non-patented” pharmaceuticals. As tariffs impact drug pricing, a new KFF article reports pharmaceuticals make up 17.9% of claims within the large group market.

• Chronic Pain: New research shows a significant increase in the prevalence of chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain in U.S. adults from 2019 to 2023, with long COVID accounting for approximately 13% of both increases. A New York Times article reports on a small study on using deep brain stimulation to reduce the use of opioids. Researchers continue to study whether opioid use remains beneficial for managing pain by using preoperative counseling as a way to reduce opioid drug use.

• Weight Loss Drugs: Researchers found prescriptions for glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) increased significantly, with semaglutide approved for weight loss rising to a 60% share in the nondiabetic obese/overweight group.

Health Policy Watch

The COVID vaccine policy shift, critical health information returned to federal websites.

• New Vaccine Landscape: The Food and Drug Administration has approved Moderna and Pfizer’s 2025-2026 COVID vaccines for people ages 6 months to 64 with one high- risk health condition, and all people over 65. Access will be limited by new rules on coverage and the availability of shots at pharmacies.

• Physicians Weigh In: The American Academy of Family Physicians has issued its own vaccine recommendations. The group says all adults over age 18, children, and pregnant women should receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The American Academy of Pediatrics has also released new COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children 6 months to 18 years of age.

• State Vaccine Actions: The governors of California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and other states, have issued state-level policies to ensure continued COVID vaccine access. Florida plans to become the first state to end all vaccine mandates for children, in a move some experts consider dangerous for public health.

• Key Data to be Restored: Health and Human Services (HHS) will reinstate health data removed in January due to an executive order, including information on pregnancy risks, opioid-use disorder, AIDS, and the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. It is unclear if the data will be updated.
• Drug Price Transparency: Effective October 1st, HHS will allow Americans to compare drug prices, view out-of-pocket costs, and access prior authorization requirements in real time.

Access to Care

The ongoing health care workforce shortage remains a constant theme in access to substance use treatment, primary care, obstetrics, and rural health.

• Substance Use Disorder (SUD): A new report from the Office of the Inspector General highlights the availability of comprehensive SUD treatment options within Health Resources and Services Administration-funded health centers. Despite most centers having mental health treatment as the only option, 56% of health centers offered mental health treatment, drug counseling, and medications for opioid use disorder as a comprehensive treatment option due to a lack of staff and financing. Another recent study found that people who were arrested for substance-related crimes and participated in treatment court programs (a public-health-driven alternative to incarceration) had better health outcomes than people who did not.

• Primary Care: A Virginia Commonwealth University study finds that the demand for care exceeds the supply of primary care physicians, with rural communities having less access than urban areas. A recent Health Affairs article highlights how the lower earnings potential in primary care disincentivizes new physicians from choosing the profession.

• Obstetric Care: New research shows access to obstetric care has declined across the country, with rural communities being impacted disproportionately. Another study finds that five years after a hospital merger, access to obstetric services declined 30% in rural hospitals.

• Independent Rural Hospitals: To avoid joining larger health systems, independent rural hospitals are increasingly joining clinically integrated networks to save money, improve care, and combine patient rolls for value-based contracts.

Resources & Initiatives

• New Jersey is allocating nearly $11 million of the state’s opioid settlement funds to increase treatment access for people using substances.
• The Pew Research Center provides state policy approaches to expanding naloxone access.
• Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey’s Integrated System of Care Program promotes long-term recovery and remission through integrated care.
• Premera Blue Cross’s partnership with Kinwell Medical Group helps to address the primary care crisis by increasing health workforce staffing.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona created a new website to help Arizona families access information on various stages of pregnancy and postpartum care.
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services releases information on the Rural Health Transformation Program.