May 18, 2026
Healthy eating and physical activity can help lower the risk of obesity and related diseases for children and adolescents. The National Committee for Quality Assurance recommends that primary care providers and OB/GYNs who assess children and adolescents ages 3 to 17 years have documentation of:
- Weight, height and body mass index percentile from the same date of service (because BMI norms for children and adolescents vary with age and gender, BMI percentile should be assessed for this measure, rather than an absolute BMI value)
- Counseling for nutrition
- Counseling for physical activity
Each should be documented as part of well-child visits or sick visits during the measurement year, which is Jan. 1 - Dec. 31. We track this data for the NCQA quality measure Weight Assessment and Counseling for Nutrition and Physical Activity for Children/Adolescents. If counseling members during sick visits, include discussion or education of appropriate nutrition and physical activities when the child is no longer sick.
For Medicaid members, assess height, weight and BMI percentile and counsel for nutrition and physical activity during well-child visits and sick visits as part of Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment services.
Tips to consider to close gaps in care
Document date of service and BMI percentile as a percent value or plotted on an age-growth chart in your medical records. In electronic medical records, turn on the BMI percentile calculator to ensure it’s documented.
Documentation for counseling for nutrition and physical activity must include the date of service and confirmation of at least one of the following during the measurement year:
- Discussion of current nutrition, such as eating habits or dieting behaviors. References in the documentation to “appetite,” “well-nourished” and “eating well" don’t meet the criteria for this measure.
- Discussion of physical activity behaviors such as exercise routine, participating in sports activities or exam for sports participation.
- For members with disabilities, discuss passive range of motion exercises, if appropriate. Also document if the exercise level is none, if appropriate.
- For toddlers, if appropriate, discuss the American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures guidelines to engage in at least 60 minutes and up to several hours per day of unstructured physical activity, and at least 30 minutes of structured physical activity each day.
- Checklist indicating nutrition and physical activity were addressed
- Counseling or referral for nutrition education or physical activity
- Documentation that member received educational materials on nutrition and physical activity during a face-to-face visit
- Anticipatory guidance for nutrition and physical activity
- Weight or obesity counseling
Documentation, coding and exclusions for this measure: Refer to our Quality Care 2026 booklet on Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) measures for more information. You can access it in Availity® Essentials within our Payer Spaces in the resources section.
Availity is a trademark of Availity, LLC, a separate company that operates a health information network to provide electronic information exchange services to medical professionals. Availity provides administrative services to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico. BCBSNM makes no endorsement, representations or warranties regarding third party vendors and the products and services they offer.
HEDIS is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
The above material is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for the independent medical judgment of a physician or other health care provider. Physicians and other health care providers are encouraged to use their own medical judgment based upon all available information and the condition of the patient in determining the appropriate course of treatment. The fact that a service or treatment is described in this material, is not a guarantee that the service or treatment is a covered benefit and members should refer to their certificate of coverage for more details, including benefits, limitations and exclusions. Regardless of benefits, the final decision about any service or treatment is between the member and their health care provider.