A newly released clinical guideline is aiming to transform the way health care providers in Canada manage childhood and adolescent obesity, with a strong focus on patient-centered care and outcomes that matter most to families.
Published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the guideline was developed by Obesity Canada over a four-year period, incorporating insights from adolescents and caregivers with lived experience, along with input from more than 50 multidisciplinary experts, health professionals, and methodologists.
“This guideline is intended to support shared, informed clinical decision-making through systematic and interpretable summaries of scientific evidence,” said Dr. Bradley Johnston, associate professor of nutrition and health research methods and co-chair of the guideline committee. “We created a transparent process to evaluate the full scope of evidence for relevant interventions, prioritizing outcomes that are meaningful to patients.”
These outcomes include improvements in quality of life, mental health, cardiovascular risk factors, and the avoidance of treatment-related harms.
The guideline reflects the growing urgency to address pediatric obesity—a complex, chronic, and often stigmatized condition linked to more than 200 health complications. In Canada, approximately one in four children under the age of 11 and one in three adolescents aged 12 to 17 are considered overweight or obese. Globally, rates of severe obesity among youth are also on the rise.
“The long-term health consequences and the tendency of pediatric obesity to persist into adulthood emphasize the need for accessible, family-centered interventions,” said Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam, scientific director of Obesity Canada. “Sustainable success is most likely when families receive practical behavioral support, which can be complemented by medical or surgical treatments when appropriate and available.”
The guideline offers 10 core recommendations, ranging from nutritional and physical activity strategies to psychological, technological, pharmacological, and surgical interventions. It also includes nine good practice statements, encouraging the combination of at least two approaches to achieve more effective outcomes.
“The time to act is now,” said Lisa Schaffer, executive director of Obesity Canada. “Delaying intervention until adulthood only increases the risk of complications and prolongs the struggle with a stigmatized chronic condition—often worsening both physical and mental health outcomes.”
To support the guideline, Obesity Canada has created a range of educational tools, including infographics and videos, to help health care providers and families navigate the most effective paths for managing pediatric obesity.
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