title: Trends in nutrition and exercise counseling among adolescents in the health care environment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Obesity is a serious health threat, particularly among racial/ethnic minorities and those who are uninsured, yet little is known about the implementation of nutrition or exercise counseling or the combination of both among these groups. Trends in counseling by race/ethnicity and types of insurance were examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  Trend analyses were conducted with the California Health Interview Surveys among those ages 12-17 for the period 2003-2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Race/Ethnicity: Receipt of both counseling methods declined from 2003-2009 for all racial/ethnic groups, except Hispanics and Whites, for whom increases in counseling began after 2007. Hispanics and African Americans generally reported higher levels of nutrition than exercise counseling, while Whites generally reported higher levels of exercise than nutrition counseling for the study period. INSURANCE TYPE: Receipt of both counseling methods appeared to decline from 2003-2009 among all insurance types, although after 2007, a slight increase was observed for the low-cost/free insurance group. Those with private health insurance generally received more exercise counseling than nutrition counseling over the study period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Counseling among all racial/ethnic groups and insurance types is warranted, but particularly needed for African Americans, American Indian/Alaska Natives, and the uninsured as they are at highest risk for developing obesity. Institutional and policy changes in the health care environment will be beneficial in helping to promote obesity-related counseling.
authors.affiliation: College of Natural Resources and the School of Public Health, Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA. tpeart@berkeley.edu
authors.forename: Tasha
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Peart
authors.forename: Patricia B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Crawford
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003376:Counseling / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D004032:Diet / Q000208:ethnology; D005006:Ethnicity; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000639:trends*; D008297:Male; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D009765:Obesity / Q000191:economics / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D044469:Racial Groups; D044465:White People