The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued its first global guidelines on managing obesity among children and adolescents. The guidelines call for timely, evidence-based, and people-centered care to address the growing challenge of childhood obesity. According to WHO, 170 million children and adolescents aged five to 19 globally were living with obesity in 2024. This includes 70 million children aged five to nine and 100 million adolescents aged 10 to 19.
The prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents has quadrupled globally since 1990, rising from 2% to 8%. In Kenya, more than 2.1 million children and adolescents aged five to 19 are classified as overweight or obese. The World Obesity Atlas 2026 projects that over one million Kenyan children could be living with obesity by 2030. This underscores the need for early prevention and access to appropriate care to address the growing nutrition challenge.
The WHO describes obesity as a chronic and relapsing disease whose effects can begin early in life, increasing the risk of non-communicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. For children and adolescents living with obesity, WHO recommends structured dietary, physical activity, and behavior-changing interventions. These interventions can be provided individually or as part of multimodal programs to support healthy lifestyle changes.
The guidelines emphasize that obesity management should go beyond weight loss to improve health, functioning, and overall well-being. WHO also stresses the importance of addressing mental health alongside obesity, as children living with obesity may face stigma, discrimination, and bullying. Anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem can contribute to unhealthy eating and physical inactivity, highlighting the need for comprehensive support.
WHO strongly recommends that care for children and adolescents with obesity be age-appropriate, family-engaged, and responsive to individual needs, with long-term follow-up and continuity of care. The agency does not recommend pharmacological treatment, bariatric surgery, or weight-loss devices for children below 10 years. For adolescents aged 10 to 19, approved medicines may be considered only where a supervised multimodal lifestyle program has not achieved desired results.
According to Dr. Luz María De Regil, WHO Director of Nutrition and Food Safety, the foundation of obesity care for children and adolescents is not medicine or surgery, but access to comprehensive support that enables healthy eating, physical activity, and sustainable behavior change. The guidelines reinforce the importance of prevention, early intervention, and coordinated support for children and families to address obesity and promote healthier lifestyles.
WHO urges countries to adopt policies that make healthy diets and physical activity more accessible and affordable to reverse the rise in childhood obesity. The agency calls for action across education, urban planning, transport, and social protection, alongside regulatory and fiscal measures. For Kenya, the recommendations come as the country grapples with a double burden of malnutrition and a growing number of overweight and obese children, adding another dimension to its nutrition and non-communicable disease burden.
Key points
- WHO recommends structured dietary, physical activity, and behavior-changing interventions for children and adolescents living with obesity.
- The prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents has quadrupled globally since 1990, rising from 2% to 8%.
- Over one million Kenyan children could be living with obesity by 2030, according to the World Obesity Atlas 2026.
