About the Project

This AHCA study will examine depression and obesity among adolescents and was developed in response to federal mandates calling for states to address chronic disease management and chart mental health trajectories. Vendor’s goal is to clarify the association between depression and obesity among Medicaid-enrolled adolescents, focusing on treatment practices, service use and costs for both conditions, and whether differences exist by race or ethnicity. Specific study aims are to (1) examine the characteristics of community-dwelling Medicaid enrolled adolescents with a depression diagnosis (major and minor depression); (2) understand the predictors of receiving evidence-based practice (EBP) treatment for depression; (3) determine predictors for the development of obesity among adolescents with depression; and (4) determine the trajectory of service use and costs among adolescents with a diagnosis of depression and/or obesity compared with adolescents with neither diagnosis. The study will utilize three and one-half years of Medicaid administrative data, including eligibility, fee-for-service and pharmacy data, and behavioral health encounter data to assess predictive factors. Current treatment practices will be compared to EBP guidelines for MDD developed by the American Psychiatric Association. Findings will inform Medicaid policies for best practice treatment of depression among adolescents, with the hope of maximizing service use effectiveness for a diverse adolescent population.

Dates	07/01/2009 - 06/30/2010