WHO Recommends Lifestyle Changes Over Medication to Combat Childhood Obesity

The World Health Organization (WHO) today recommended adopting a healthy diet, engaging in physical activity, and receiving 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 obesity medications, surgery, or devices, due to uncertainties regarding their long-term safety and efficacy.

Maria Neira, Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at WHO, said that current evidence is insufficient to issue a definitive opinion on drugs and medications based on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), 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 in 2024, approximately 400 million children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 were overweight, including 170 million who were obese. The prevalence of obesity in this age group has quadrupled since 1990.