Ahead of Canada's new childhood obesity guidelines, doctors say surgery is an important option
CTV
A pediatrician involved in creating new treatment guidelines for obese children in Canada says an 'alarming' rise in obesity has led to a greater need for surgery for teens whose mental and physical suffering typically worsens into adulthood.
A pediatrician involved in creating new treatment guidelines for obese children in Canada says an "alarming" rise in obesity has led to a greater need for surgery for teens whose mental and physical suffering typically worsens into adulthood.
Dr. Melanie Henderson, a pediatric endocrinologist and researcher at Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal, said guidelines expected to be published later this year will go beyond obesity determination measures such as body mass index to include kids' overall quality-of-life experiences.
New guidelines published in the American Academy of Pediatrics last month recommend earlier intervention with medication for children 12 and older and bariatric surgery for those 13 and up and severely obese after multiple failed efforts at intensive behaviour changes.
The Canadian guidelines will also focus on interventions without delay due to growing obesity rates and the risk of major health consequences, said Henderson, a co-director of the pediatric hospital's family-focused program. It includes various specialists that work with children to improve their physical fitness and nutrition and provide counselling.
"We don't have a lot of data on what are the best interventions to improve some of the mental-health issues and quality of life," she said, adding a review of studies over the last decade suggests evaluations of anxiety and depression, for example, are lacking even though those issues are addressed in various intervention programs.
"All of this will be highlighted in the actual guidelines," she said.
Henderson is part of a group of clinicians and researchers across the country that came together in 2019 to create new guidelines with research support from Obesity Canada and the University of Alberta.
