Medicalization of childhood obesity

The American Academy of Pediatrics released "proactive" guidelines for dealing with childhood obesity which include medications and surgeries.

The following is a post I made in January. However, I didn’t release it under ridiculous grounds and decided to shelve it.

However, a while back someone on Notes made a suggestion that they provide unpublished or scrapped articles for their paid members, and so I thought this was an interesting suggestion for things that would otherwise not get seen. Therefore, with that in mind I am publishing this older article for paid members.

Although slightly outdated, the following article is something worth considering given the increasing popularity of Ozempic-like drugs, especially within the context of its use for teens.

---

My news feed was flooded (relatively speaking…) with stories about the American Academy of Pediatric’s (AAP) with the following headlines:

From Ars Technica.

The AAP’s new guidelines suggest that proactive, more targeted action should be taken to deal with childhood obesity. This includes some highly controversial options such as weight loss medication— something which the AAP has never recommended before.

Ars Technica notes the following:

The new guidance marks the first time the AAP has recommended weight loss drugs for childhood obesity. Overall, the medical group is urging immediate, intensive action to get ahead of childhood obesity and overweight conditions, which are complex, before they lead to long-term health problems, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

“There is no evidence that ‘watchful waiting’ or delayed treatment is appropriate for children with obesity,” Sandra Hassink, an author of the guideline and vice chair of the AAP's Clinical Practice Guideline Subcommittee on Obesity, said in a statement. "The goal is to help patients make changes in lifestyle, behaviors, or environment in a way that is sustainable and involves families in decision-making at every step of the way."

The AAP’s guidelines apparently deviate from prior recommendations in which long-term approaches were utilized. Now, instant, aggressive actions appear to be the recommendations so that children don’t face obesity-related complications such as cardiovascular issues and diabetes, among other maladies.