WHO Supports Lifestyle Changes Over Medication to Combat Childhood Obesity
The World Health Organization has recommended adopting a healthy diet and exercising instead of medication to treat obesity in children under 10, with medication or surgery considered for older cases after other interventions fail.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on Wednesday that children adopt a healthy diet, engage in physical activity, and receive behavioral support instead of relying on common weight-loss medications, in its first global guidance to address rising obesity rates among young children.
The WHO stated that weight-loss medications could be considered for individuals aged 10 to 19 who are obese, but only after supervised interventions have failed.
It added that bariatric surgery could be considered for physically and mentally mature adolescents with severe obesity after six months of unsuccessful treatment.
For children under the age of 10, the WHO recommended a combined approach of dietary changes, physical activity, and behavioral support rather than weight-loss medications, surgery, or devices, due to uncertainties regarding their long-term safety and efficacy.
Louise Maria de Regt, Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, said that current evidence is insufficient to issue a definitive opinion on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist drugs, but researchers are monitoring efficacy and safety trials and may revise this assessment as more data emerge.
The WHO emphasized that healthy diets and physical activity must be accessible and affordable, as treatment alone cannot halt the rise in obesity rates.
The organization reported that the number of overweight children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 reached approximately 400 million in 2024, including 170 million who are obese. The prevalence of obesity in this age group has quadrupled since 1990.
