WHO urges lifestyle changes before weight-loss drugs for children
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended prioritizing healthy diets, physical activity and behavioral support to tackle rising obesity among children and adolescents, rather than relying immediately on weight-loss drugs or surgery.
In its first global guidelines addressing obesity in young people, the WHO said weight-loss medications may be considered for adolescents aged 10 to 19 with obesity, but only after supervised lifestyle interventions have failed. For children under 10, the organization recommends a combination of healthy eating, regular physical activity and behavioral support, while advising against the routine use of obesity drugs, surgery or medical devices because of limited evidence on their long-term safety and effectiveness.
The WHO said there is currently insufficient evidence to make a definitive assessment of medicines based on the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) hormone for children and adolescents, while ongoing studies are examining their safety and effectiveness. Bariatric surgery may be considered for physically and psychologically mature adolescents with severe obesity after at least six months of treatment has failed to produce the desired results, according to the guidelines.
The WHO also stressed that healthy food and opportunities for physical activity must be affordable and accessible, saying treatment alone cannot reverse the global rise in childhood obesity. According to UNICEF data cited by the WHO, around 400 million people aged five to 19 were overweight in 2024, including 170 million with obesity. The prevalence of obesity in this age group has quadrupled since 1990.
