Now the American Academy of Pediatrics is issuing new guidelines in the battle against child obesity.
It's a disease just like any other.
[Ads /]
"When you are obese, people stare at you, people judge you," said Harley Boaz, who dealt with pediatric obesity.
At a time when Boaz should be having the time of her life, her life was literally being put at risk. At 16, she weighed 285 pounds.
"I was diagnosed with hypertension. I was prediabetic. I had high cholesterol," she said.
A new CDC study warns that type 2 diabetes will surge 700 % in people under the age of 20 in the next 40 years.
"About 20% of the pediatric population now has obesity," said Dr. Jennifer Sprague, a pediatric endocrinologist with Washington University in St. Louis
[Ads /]
The new AAP guidelines are aimed at revolutionizing the way we approach childhood obesity.
"It says we should offer all of our treatments as soon as a patient is eligible for them," Sprague said.
She said 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," she said.
The AAP guidelines include evidence-based recommendations such as motivational interviewing to behavior treatments and pharmaceuticals like the newly FDA-approved Wegovy. The medication is the first once-weekly weight loss injection approved for kids 12 and up.
[Ads /]
"They can make a huge difference in patients' lives," Sprague said.
Studies show 95% of teens with type 2 diabetes who had bariatric surgery no longer had it three years following surgery, and 74% normalized their high blood pressure.
"I think there's always hope that if you treat this disease, you're gonna lessen the long-term consequences," she said.
The new guidelines also urge pediatricians to take into account 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.