The Good Health Club and Physicians Toolkit
Childhood obesity is a critical public health issue. As the prevalence of childhood obesity has tripled during the past 30 years, its impact on children's health risks has compounded. Type 2 diabetes is increasingly being reported among children and adolescents who are obese. Although diabetes and glucose intolerance, a precursor of diabetes, are common health effects of adult obesity, only in recent years has type 2 diabetes begun to emerge as a health-related problem among children and adolescents.
Combating this troubling trend and improving the health of our children require concerted efforts by local neighborhoods, schools, families and physicians. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation recognize the need to support these efforts and have support programs to educate and empower children, as well as their families, teachers and physicians, toward healthy lifestyles.
The Good Health Club
BCBSKS is sponsoring the Good Health Club, which promotes healthy choices and behaviors in children through fun, effective, age-appropriate communications.
The Good Health Club uses a group of animated characters to teach kids to:
- Eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies every single day
- Limit screen time to 2 hours or less
- Get at least 1 hour of physical activity
- Limit sweetened drinks to 0
A key initiative on this front is the Good Health Club Physician Toolkit, which provides effective and engaging tools needed to educate parents and children about childhood obesity and diabetes prevention.
Physician Toolkit on Childhood Obesity
The Good Health Club Physician Toolkit was developed in consultation with the American Diabetes Association and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and adapted from materials that have been successfully used by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies around the country. The Quality Improvement Innovation Network, a network of AAP practicing pediatrician members and their staffs, also provided feedback during development.
The Toolkit contains convenient physician reference information as well as behavior-changing educational tools for patients and parents. These materials share the healthy 5-2-1-0 messages and tips from the Good Health Club.
Healthy Tip Sheet
- 2 – 4 years old (English, 1.2MB) (Spanish, 1.2MB)
- 5 – 9 years old (English, 1.6MB) (Spanish, 1.6MB)
- 10 – 12 years old (English, 2.1MB) (Spanish, 2.1MB)
- 13+ years old (English, 2.2MB) (Spanish, 2.2MB)
Outrun Obesity brochure (with behavior risk quiz)
(English, 938KB) (Spanish, 850KB)
Weekly Journal
(English, 1.1MB) (Spanish, 1.1MB)
Body Mass Index-for-age percentiles charts
(English/Spanish; front-boys/back-girls, 618KB)
Physician Reference Guide
5-2-1-0 Good Health Club Posters Club Characters Poster
(2 – 12 years) (English, 533KB) (Spanish, 540KB)
5-2-1-0 Poster
(13+ years) (English, 911KB) (Spanish, 924KB)