Obesity among children and adolescents has quadrupled since 1990 and affects 170 million

Obesity is a chronic and recurrent disease that increases the risk of non-communicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.

Geneva.- The prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 has quadrupled since 1990, rising from 2% to 8% globally, a trend that has led the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop its first guidelines for the treatment of this disease in these age groups.

The WHO estimates that 170 million children and adolescents were living with obesity in 2024: 70 million children between 5 and 9 years old, and 100 million adolescents between 10 and 19 years old.

The new guidelines establish how health systems and professionals should address this situation when receiving a patient in those age ranges, and that it should begin by proposing interventions that combine diet, physical activity, and the modification of behaviors that may have led to being overweight.

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For children up to 9 years of age, the organization does not recommend pharmacological treatments, bariatric surgery, or devices intended to reduce weight.

In the case of adolescents aged 10 to 19, authorized medications may be considered only when a supervised program combining lifestyle changes has not achieved the expected results over at least six months.

“The foundation of obesity care in children and adolescents is not medication or surgery, but access to comprehensive support that enables healthy eating, physical activity, and sustainable behavior change,” noted Luz María De Regil, head of the WHO’s Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, at a press conference.

Addressing mental health recommended to treat obesity

Obesity is a chronic and recurrent disease that increases the risk of non-communicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, while the risk of suffering from stigmatization, discrimination, and bullying is particularly high among obese minors.

Therefore, the new guidelines recommend also addressing mental health, as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and difficulties in regulating emotions can contribute to unhealthy eating behaviors, physical inactivity, and social isolation.

The organization further warned that treatment alone will not reverse the global rise in obesity and called for public policies that make healthy diets and physical activity more accessible and affordable.

Obesity worldwide does not stop increasing, although in the case of high-income countries a certain stability is observed, but not a reduction, specified De Regil.

In contrast, obesity continues to grow in numerous countries in low- and middle-income regions.

Likewise, the expert pointed out that this disease generates costs of several trillion dollars and that when it begins early in life, “accumulated costs” appear.

With these recommendations, the WHO has completed its guidelines for the treatment of obesity in adults.