WHO advises against obesity drugs for children under 10

The World Health Organization has issued its first global guidelines for treating obesity in children and adolescents, recommending structured lifestyle support and advising against obesity medicines, bariatric surgery and weight-management devices for children aged 0 to 9. The guidance, released October 7, puts healthy eating, physical activity and behavioural support at the centre of care. WHO says these interventions can be tailored to children and families, with long-term support focused on overall health, physical functioning and quality of life, not weight loss alone. For adolescents aged 10 to 19, WHO says approved obesity medicines may be considered when a supervised, comprehensive lifestyle programme has not achieved the desired results. Surgery may be considered for adolescents with severe obesity under strict conditions. The guidelines do not make medication or surgery the first step in treatment. WHO estimates that about 170 million people aged 5 to 19 were living with obesity in 2024: roughly 70 million children aged 5 to 9 and 100 million adolescents aged 10 to 19. For this age group, the agency says obesity prevalence rose from 2% in 1990 to 8% in 2024.