The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued its first global guidelines on the management of obesity among children and adolescents, calling for timely, evidence-based and people-centred care.
WHO said 170 million children and adolescents aged five to 19 globally were living with obesity in 2024, including 70 million children aged five to nine and 100 million adolescents aged 10 to 19.
Obesity prevalence among this age group has quadrupled globally since 1990, rising from two per cent to eight per cent.
In Kenya, more than 2.1 million children and adolescents aged five to 19 are currently classified as overweight or obese, highlighting a growing nutrition challenge as the country grapples with a double burden of malnutrition.
The World Obesity Atlas 2026 shows that 13 per cent of Kenyan girls aged 15 to 19 are overweight or obese, compared with two per cent of boys in the same age group.
The Atlas projects that more than one million Kenyan children could be living with obesity by 2030, underscoring the need for early prevention and access to appropriate care.
WHO said the global trend presents a growing challenge for countries such as Kenya, where childhood overweight and obesity are emerging alongside persistent undernutrition.
The agency described 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 strongly recommends structured dietary, physical activity and behaviour-changing interventions, either individually or as part of multimodal programmes.
The agency also conditionally recommends digital health interventions where parents or caregivers provide supervision.
WHO 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 programme has not achieved the desired results. Bariatric surgery may be considered for adolescents with severe obesity under strict conditions.
“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 behaviour change,” said Dr. Luz María De Regil, WHO Director of Nutrition and Food Safety.
WHO said obesity management should go beyond weight loss to improve health, functioning and overall well-being.
It also called for mental health to be addressed alongside obesity, noting that children living with obesity may face stigma, discrimination and bullying. Anxiety, depression and low self-esteem can also contribute to unhealthy eating and physical inactivity.
The agency said care should be age-appropriate, family-engaged and responsive to the needs of individual children, with long-term follow-up and continuity of care.
WHO stressed that treatment alone would not reverse the rise in childhood obesity, urging countries to adopt policies that make healthy diets and physical activity more accessible and affordable.
It called for action across education, urban planning, transport and social protection, alongside regulatory and fiscal measures.
For Kenya, the recommendations come as the increasing number of overweight and obese children adds another dimension to the country’s nutrition and non-communicable disease burden.
The guidelines reinforce the importance of prevention, early intervention and coordinated support for children and families to address obesity and promote healthier lifestyles from childhood.
by Wangari Ndirangu
