WHO underlines rise in obesity among children, issues guidelines, Pg14

Key Highlights:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) released new guidelines addressing the rise in obesity among children and adolescents.
• The guidelines recommend against weight-loss drugs and bariatric surgery for children under nine years old.
• For adolescents aged 10-19, restraint is advocated for such practices, with drugs and surgery considered only for morbid obesity or when other interventions fail.
• Global childhood and adolescent obesity quadrupled since 1990, rising from 2% to 8%.
• In 2024, 170 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 years were living with obesity worldwide.
• India's burden of obese children and adolescents (5-19 years) is projected to reach 27 million by 2030, accounting for 11% of the global total.

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Detailed Insights:

• The WHO emphasizes that the foundation of obesity care for children and adolescents is comprehensive support, healthy eating, physical activity, and sustainable behavior change.
• Children and adolescents with obesity face an increased risk of non-communicable diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• The Indian Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology (ISPAE) is developing guidelines for the use of GLP-1 drugs in children.
• GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide are approved for children over 12 with morbid obesity and complications, but long-term data on their efficacy in children is limited.
• India's National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data indicates a 127% increase in overweight and obesity among children under five between 2005-06 and 2019-21.
• Adolescent girls and boys in India have seen a 125% and 288% increase in overweight and obesity, respectively, during the same period.
• Bariatric surgery is generally not recommended for children due to potential growth impairment.

Scientific/Technical Concepts Involved:

• Obesity: A chronic disease characterized by excessive body fat accumulation that can impair health.
• Bariatric Surgery: Surgical procedures that modify the digestive system to induce weight loss, typically for severe obesity.
• GLP-1 drugs: A class of medications that mimic a natural hormone to regulate blood sugar, slow gastric emptying, and reduce appetite, primarily used for type 2 diabetes and weight management.