TORONTO — New expert advice on treating children and teens who are overweight or obese says family doctors should not prescribe weight loss drugs to young children, nor should they routinely suggest weight loss surgeries.
The guidance comes from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, a group that periodically assesses medical evidence on health issues and advises primary care doctors on how to deal with them.
This is the first time in more than 20 years that the task force has made recommendations on actions doctors should take to treat weight problems suffered by young patients.
The task force says doctors should monitor the growth of their patients on an ongoing basis, by weighing and measuring their height or length, in the case of children who are not yet standing.
The panel says that doctors should offer or refer young patients who are overweight or obese to structured behavioural inventions such as working with nutritionists and other professionals.
The panel recommends against prescribing weight loss drugs to children under the age of 11 and suggests family doctors should not routinely offer these drugs to youth aged 12 to 17.
It also suggests family doctors shouldn't routinely refer children and teens who are overweight or obese for weight control surgeries.
The guidelines are published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
