WHO issues its first global guidelines on managing obesity in children and adolescents

7 October 2026

The World Health Organization released its first global guidelines on the integrated management of obesity in children and in adolescents.
WHO says child and adolescent obesity has quadrupled since 1990, rising from two per cent to around eight per cent of those aged five to 19.
In 2024 about 170 million children and adolescents were living with obesity: 70 million children aged five to nine and some 100 million adolescents up to 19.
WHO defines obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease caused by excessive fat deposits that can still be managed through effective care.
The guidelines strongly recommend dietary change, physical activity and other behavioural interventions as the foundation of care.
They do not recommend medicines, bariatric surgery or weight-loss devices for children aged 0 to 9.
For adolescents aged 10 to 19, approved medicines such as GLP-1 therapies should be considered only after a supervised lifestyle programme has failed, and bariatric surgery only under strict conditions in severe obesity.