Obesity, or excess body weight, can increase a child’s risk for chronic and serious medical conditions. It is a disease defined as a body mass index of >95th percentile for children and >30 kg/m2 for adults. It carries a particularly increased risk for conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, orthopedic problems, and liver disease.
Some children and teenagers are more prone to obesity than others, although health experts haven’t been able to definitively pinpoint why. However, it is believed that obesity can be caused by a combination of environment, genetics, nutrition, and energy expenditure.
Weight management medications — along with treatment options such as lifestyle intervention, behavioral and nutritional counseling, pharmacological therapy, and behavioral surgery — can help manage obesity. Weight management medications particularly help those with a body mass index (BMI) in the >95th percentile. They can make a child feel less hungry or feel as if their stomach is full sooner than normal. Some medications slow the absorption of fat from foods.
