First guidelines on childhood obesity back structured diets, exercise and behavior change
GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday that medicine and surgery are not the answer for overweight children, as it released its first guidelines addressing the sharp rise in obesity among children and adolescents. The agency instead strongly recommended structured diets, physical activity and behavior changes.
“WHO does not recommend pharmacological treatment, bariatric surgery (surgery that changes the stomach or digestive tract) or weight-loss devices for children aged 0-9 years,” it said. “For adolescents aged 10-19 years, treatment with approved medicines may be considered only when a supervised multimodal lifestyle program has not achieved the desired results. Bariatric surgery may be considered under strict conditions for adolescents with severe obesity.”
The recommendations for those aged 19 and under contrast with the UN health agency’s guidelines for adult obesity issued in December 2025, which followed the surge in popularity of a new generation of appetite-suppressing drugs known as GLP-1 agonists, including the blockbuster brands Ozempic and Mounjaro. The WHO said that range of weight-loss and diabetes drugs could be used to tackle obesity in adults.
In 2024, some 70 million children aged 5 to 9 were obese, as were 100 million adolescents aged 10 to 19 worldwide, according to the WHO. Among 5- to 19-year-olds, the prevalence of obesity has surged globally, rising from 2 percent in 1990 to 8 percent in 2024.
“The rise of obesity is observed everywhere in all regions,” said Luz Maria De Regil, director of the WHO’s nutrition and food safety department. She said it is growing in low- and middle-income countries, while some high-income countries are starting to stop the rise without yet making reductions. “The foundation of obesity care for children and adolescents is not medicine or surgery, but access to comprehensive support that enables healthy eating, physical activity and sustainable behavior change,” she said.
The recommendations also stressed the importance of addressing mental health alongside obesity. Anxiety, depression and low self-esteem can contribute to unhealthy eating, physical inactivity and social withdrawal, the WHO said, adding that children and adolescents living with obesity may experience stigma and bullying.
Maria Nieves Garcia Casal, a scientist in the WHO’s nutrition and food safety department, told reporters that bariatric surgery may be considered during adolescence for cases of severe obesity accompanied by complications such as type 2 diabetes or hypertension, if diet and lifestyle changes have failed. — AFP