By JAY ADKINS
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
More than 14 million children and teens in the U.S. are living with obesity. It’s a chronic disease associated with a lifetime of health risks.
That’s why for the first time ever, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released groundbreaking guidelines on treating children battling obesity.
“When you are obese, people stare at you, people judge you,” Harley Boaz said.
At a time when Boaz should be having the time of her life, she was at risk. At 16 years old, she weighed 285 pounds.
“I was diagnosed with hypertension,” Boaz said. “I was prediabetic. I had high cholesterol.”
A new study by the CDC warns that type 2 diabetes will surge 700 percent in people under the age of 20 in the next 40 years.
“About 20 percent of the pediatric population now has obesity,” said Jennifer Sprague, a Pediatric endocrinologist with Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
The AAP is hopeful that new guidelines will revolutionize the way childhood obesity is approached.
“It says we should offer all of our treatments as soon as a patient is eligible for them,” Sprague said.
Sprague says for the first time, doctors have a roadmap on how to treat these children: “It highlights that a ‘watch and wait’ strategy is not effective.”
The AAP guidelines include evidence-based recommendations such as motivational interviewing to behavior treatments and pharmaceuticals like the newly FDA approved Wegovy – the first once-weekly weight loss injection approved for kids 12 and up.
“They can make a really huge difference in patients’ lives,” Sprague said.
Studies show 95 percent of teens with type 2 diabetes who had bariatric surgery no longer had it three years following surgery, and 74 percent normalized their high blood pressure.
“I think there’s always hope that if you treat this disease, you’re going to lessen the long-term consequences,” Sprague said.
The new guidelines also urge pediatricians to consider genetics, physiology, socioeconomic factors, and the environment – stressing obesity is not just about weight, it’s a complex issue that requires a comprehensive and personalized treatment plan.
Health Spotlight is presented by Community Health Network.