Benefits of Pediatric Obesity Treatment Endure Into Young Adulthood

TUESDAY, Jan. 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A positive response to treatment for pediatric obesity has enduring health benefits into young adulthood, according to a study published online Jan. 21 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Resthie R. Putri, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues examined the long-term effect of different responses to pediatric obesity treatment on critical health outcomes in young adulthood. The analysis included 6,713 participants in the Swedish Childhood Obesity Treatment Register (aged 6 to 17 years at baseline) who were receiving at least one year of obesity treatment and followed until 18 to 30 years.

The researchers found that the median age at obesity treatment initiation was 12.1 years, and treatment duration was 3.0 years. Unadjusted incidence rates of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, weight-loss bariatric surgery, and depression or anxiety outcomes tended to decrease with better treatment response but were still higher than the general population. Obesity remission or a good response in obesity treatment was associated with a reduced risk for mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.12) compared with poor response. There was also an association between good response and a lower risk for type 2 diabetes (HR, 0.42), dyslipidemia (HR, 0.31), and bariatric surgery (HR, 0.42). Similar findings were seen for obesity remission, which was also associated with a lower risk for hypertension (HR, 0.40). There was no association seen between treatment response and depression or anxiety.

“Beneficial pediatric obesity treatment response yielded enduring health benefits, markedly lowering future morbidity and mortality risks in young adulthood,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text

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