Is treatment of obesity in children and adolescents different from that of adults?
Obesity prevalence in children is increasing at an alarming rate. Treatment of children and adolescents differs from the approach in adults in several ways. The goal of treatment in children may sometimes be to keep weight stable and allow the child to “grow into” their weight. Most childhood obesity experts believe that families should have an active role in treatment of children. Drug treatment of childhood obesity is only conducted under research protocols at this time. Surgery is rarely an option for children or adolescents unless it is deemed to be life saving.
