February 17, 2024 — Reporting for Reuters, Robin Respaut and Chad Terhune tell us that prescription data in the U.S. reveals increasing use of semaglutide for obesity in adolescents. Does this signal a huge surge in pediatric obesity treatment? Or merely a small uptick from almost negligible access to care? That all depends on the story you want to […]
December 18, 2023 — Both reason and emotion play a role in obesity care for young persons. Feelings about this subject are strong. The experience of living with obesity is intense for families, children, and youth. Recent reporting makes this clear. Equally clear is reporting and new data that tell us we’re not coping with it very well. Severe […]
September 29, 2021 — As severe obesity has grown to take a toll on a growing number of children and teens, clinical care is evolving. In 2019, the American Academy of Pediatrics said it plainly. Youth with severe obesity need better access to bariatric surgery. The authors of that position statement conceded that most of the young patients for […]
May 28, 2021 — It has long been true that health systems delay care for teens with severe obesity. Health plans stall and do their best to avoid paying. Many pediatricians are uncomfortable with the subject. Parents are unsure of what to do and often feel blame for their child’s medical condition. Guilt and blame breed denial and delay. […]
April 28, 2021 — Let’s start with a basic fact. More than five million youth and children in the U.S. have severe obesity. This is not about chubby cheeks or appearance. This is about young bodies with biological patterns of fat tissue setting them up for lifetimes of poor health. These are lives that untreated obesity will cut short. […]
December 15, 2020 — It’s been a busy week of new statistics on obesity from CDC. The Centers released new data on childhood obesity trends for the U.S. Of course, the overall trend is up. Almost one in five youth (19 percent) ages 2-12 have a BMI in the range of obesity. But it’s worth digging a bit deeper […]
December 5, 2020 — Late on Friday, Novo Nordisk announced FDA approval for Saxenda (liraglutide 3mg) to treat obesity in teens. This marks the second such drug approved in for youth in little more than a week. Setmelanotide received approval last week for children as young as six. Make no mistake about it, we are making progress in expanding […]
November 22, 2019 — New data this week adds to our view of life and health for teens after bariatric surgery. Both are better for most of them after bariatric surgery. This week’s data deals with quality of life, pain, physical function, and kidney function. Two new studies document important benefits from the surgery. One other study offers an […]
October 22, 2019 — “It’s a shockingly fast increase. It’s hard to think of any development indicator where you see such a rapid deterioration.” So says UNICEF’s Laurence Chandy. He is the lead author of a new report on Children, Food, and Nutrition. That report documents how we have seen a doubling in global childhood obesity and overweight between […]
July 18, 2019 — The number of U.S. adults actively trying to lose weight peaked in 2004 at 62 percent. Ever since, that number’s been dropping. In 2018, according to Gallup, it was down to 54 percent. But the trend for teens is headed in the opposite direction. In 2010, between 16 and 19 years of age, 24 percent […]
