On 7 October 2026, WHO is launching two new guidelines on the integrated management of obesity in children and adolescents, setting out how health systems and health workers can deliver timely, evidence-based and people-centred care for children and adolescents living with obesity.
The new guidelines address an important gap in global guidance on obesity care. Together with WHO’s existing recommendations for adults, they contribute to a set of evidence-based recommendations for the management and treatment of obesity across the life course, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood.
The guidelines come as obesity among children and adolescents continues to rise. In 2024, an estimated 400 million children and adolescents aged 5–19 years were overweight, including 170 million living with obesity. The prevalence of obesity in this age group has quadrupled since 1990.
Join WHO for the virtual launch of the new guidelines on the integrated management of obesity in children and adolescents. The webinar will present the new recommendations, followed by a panel discussion with experts on the evidence underpinning the guidelines.