New guidelines may mean earlier drug interventions for childhood obesity

The American Academy of Pediatrics has made a major update to its guidelines on childhood obesity.

The new guidelines warn that waiting to treat kids struggling with obesity could make things worse. Instead, physicians should consider starting medications around the age of 12.

Novant Pediatrician Dr. Soren Johnson says doctors have traditionally relied on treatments including behavior intervention, nutrition and counseling to address childhood obesity. 

“This set of guidelines is a little bit more aggressive in saying, ‘We really should think about using medicines that might help or at least consider it and discuss that with the family’ a little bit younger and a little bit more aggressively than we have in the past.”

Johnson says obesity has been linked to a variety of long-term adverse health impacts including diabetes, heart conditions and liver disease. More immediately though, he says obesity carries a stigma that can be harmful to children’s self-esteem.

The American Association of Pediatrics says obesity affects more than 14 million children and adolescents.