Pediatric Obesity Treatment Reduced Mortality, Long-Term Morbidity in Young Adults
To highlight the effectiveness of pediatric obesity treatment, researchers measured its impact on morbidity and mortality in young adulthood.
For the first time to researchers’ knowledge, they’ve found a link between pediatric obesity treatment and reduced mortality in the young adult population. With it also leading to a decrease in cardiometabolic morbidities in young adults, researchers saw the greatest reductions in health risks when patients experienced obesity remission in childhood, according to data published in JAMA Pediatrics.1
“Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in both developed and developing countries,” wrote authors of the study. “By 2035, the global prevalence of obesity in individuals aged 5 to 19 years is estimated to be 18% among girls and 20% among boys. Childhood obesity is associated with hypertension, steatotic liver disease, insulin resistance, and psychosocial issues, such as anxiety, depression, and stigma.”
By 2035, 18% of girls and 20% of boys around the world are projected to experience childhood obesity. | image credit: marsone / stock.adobe.com
Indeed, the obesity issue has persisted in recent history, with over 40% of the US adult population being diagnosed obese from 2021 to 2023.2 The persistence and steady increase of obesity in the US has led to pharmacotherapy options like glucagon-like peptide-1s (GLP-1s) to soar in demand for patients struggling to lose weight.
READ MORE: Majority of Online GLP-1 Advertising Misinformed Potential Consumers
However, pharmacists and other providers need to be much more selective in counseling their younger patients with obesity because of the lack of approved weight-loss treatments for children and adolescents. Changing a child’s lifestyle and behavior is the standard option of treating pediatric obesity. According to the researchers, bariatric surgery and pharmacotherapy options are only suitable for children when lifestyle interventions are unsuccessful.1
Highlighting the long-term effects of pediatric obesity treatment, researchers measured each participants’ treatment effectiveness and how that later impacted mortality and morbidity; hypertension, dyslipidemia, depression or anxiety, and bariatric surgery were all included as obesity-related events that led to childhood comorbidity. To measure treatment effectiveness, they found each patients’ change in body mass index (BMI).
“Included participants were children and adolescents with obesity according to the International Obesity Task Force, aged 6 to 17 years at treatment initiation, who received at least 1 year of obesity treatment before age 18 years, and were registered in BORIS [the Swedish Childhood Obesity Treatment Register] between 1996 and 2019,” they continued.1 “Outcomes were assessed from the date individuals turned 18 years until the disease outcome occurrence, bariatric surgery, death, emigration, age 30 years, or December 31, 2020, whichever occurred first.”
The study population included a total of 6713 adolescents (median age, 12.1; 56.3% boys; median BMI, 2.82). In order to measure participants’ long-term health outcomes and mortality, researchers needed to understand how pediatric obesity treatment impacted the population. While a majority of participants had intermediate responses (43.4%) to treatment, 15.9% exhibited what the researchers deemed “good” responses and even more patients (22.4%) reported obesity remission.
“This nationwide prospective cohort study demonstrated the association between beneficial pediatric obesity treatment response and a reduced risk of obesity-related events in young adulthood, except for depression or anxiety. Particularly, a marked decrease in the risk of [type 2 diabetes], dyslipidemia, and premature mortality was observed, with greater risk reduction seen in groups with better response in pediatric obesity treatment,” wrote authors of the study.1
Real-world evidence has shown that childhood obesity leads to detrimental health outcomes, including diabetes, risk of cardiovascular disease, various cancers, and mental health complications. While new weight-loss options are available for adults, combating obesity during a patient’s early development is much more beneficial than decreasing BMI later in life. Prior to the researchers’ study, there was lacking evidence showing that obesity remission during childhood led to better health and a longer life.
The study findings were presented in order to further inform pharmacists, clinicians, and any health care provider working closely with children experiencing obesity. With the long-term health benefits pediatric obesity treatment highlights, researchers believe achieving full obesity remission is the best predictor of a healthy adulthood for the younger, obese population. Future research may focus on furthering data for pediatric obesity treatment’s link to mental health.
“This nationwide study provides compelling evidence that beneficial response to pediatric obesity treatment in a real-world setting can lower risk of cardiometabolic morbidities in young adulthood,” concluded authors of the study.1 “The greatest risk reductions were demonstrated in those who experienced obesity remission during childhood. However, effective obesity treatment does not mitigate the long-term risk of depression or anxiety.”
READ MORE: Obesity Management Resource Center
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