June 19, 2024 – The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that children and adolescents with a high body mass index (BMI) receive intensive counseling – but not weight-loss medications – to attain a healthy weight.
In a report A news release from the USPSTF issued Tuesday said children and adolescents over age 6 with a BMI within the ninety fifth percentile should receive 26 or more hours of counseling per 12 months. Counseling could include supervised physical activity, details about healthy eating and reading food labels, food regimen and activity monitoring, and help with goal setting.
The USPSTF said it might not recommend weight-loss drugs sold under brand names reminiscent of Wegovy or Lomaira because their effects on children haven’t been adequately studied and so they are known to cause stomach upset. Additionally, there is restricted evidence that folks taking these drugs regain weight after stopping them, the report said.
“Therefore, the USPSTF encourages clinicians to promote behavioral interventions as the primary effective intervention for weight loss in children and adolescents,” the report said.
The USPSTF is a volunteer panel of medical examiners that “provides evidence-based recommendations on prevention measures such as screenings, behavioral counseling, and preventive medications,” the organization’s website states.
Several experts in the sphere of weight reduction in children criticized the report since it didn’t support using weight reduction drugs in obese children and adolescents.
“Having the ability to take medications in the appropriate clinical scenario is very important,” said Susma Vaidya, MD, MPH, associate medical director of the IDEAL Clinic, the weight-loss program at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC. The Washington Post“I am a big believer in medication and believe we have been advocating lifestyle changes for a long time without making much progress.”
“We don't have long-term data on weight loss drugs and I understand that's a concern, but we do have long-term data on the consequences of obesity and we know that people with obesity are at risk of certain comorbidities,” she said.
Obesity is related to plenty of physical and emotional problems, including diabetes, heart problems and depression.
Experts also criticized the USPSTF suggestion as unrealistic, saying it might be very difficult to attain 26 hours of counseling in a clinical setting and nearly inconceivable in a primary care setting.
BMI uses your height and weight to estimate how much body fat you may have. According to the USPSTF report, about 19.7% of kids and adolescents ages 2 to 19 within the United States have a BMI that’s at or above the ninety fifth percentile for age and sex. This implies that these children have the next BMI than 95% of all other children of the identical age and sex, based on CDC growth charts from 2000.
The CDC has an internet calculator to assist parents or caregivers estimate their child's BMI.