Key facts
- WHO recommended diet, exercise, and counseling over weight-loss drugs for children.
- Weight-loss drugs may be considered for adolescents aged 10-19 with obesity if other interventions fail.
- Bariatric surgery could be considered for mature adolescents with severe obesity after six months of unsuccessful treatment.
- For children under 10, WHO endorsed diet, physical activity, and behavioral support due to safety concerns with medication.
- About 400 million people aged 5 to 19 were overweight in 2024, with 170 million living with obesity.
- Obesity prevalence in children and adolescents has quadrupled since 1990.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first global guidelines on addressing childhood obesity, prioritizing lifestyle changes over popular weight-loss drugs. The recommendations, issued on Wednesday, suggest diet, physical activity, and counseling as the primary approach for children and adolescents.
For children under 10, the WHO specifically endorsed diet, physical activity, and combined behavioral support, citing doubts about the safety and long-term effectiveness of medications, surgery, or devices. Luz María De Regil, director of the WHO's Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, stated that there is currently insufficient evidence on GLP-1 drugs, although ongoing efficacy and safety trials are being monitored.
Weight-loss drugs like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Saxenda, which are already approved for some younger patients in the US and EU, may be considered for adolescents aged 10 to 19 with obesity, but only after supervised interventions have failed. Bariatric surgery is also an option for physically and mentally mature adolescents with severe obesity who have not responded to six months of treatment.
The WHO emphasized that healthy diets and physical activity must be accessible and affordable, as treatment alone cannot reverse the rising trend of obesity. According to UNICEF data cited by the WHO, obesity has now surpassed underweight as the most common form of malnutrition among school-aged children and adolescents globally. In 2024, approximately 400 million individuals aged 5 to 19 were overweight, with 170 million classified as obese, marking a quadrupling of obesity prevalence in this age group since 1990.