New study reveals shift in pediatric obesity treatment following AAP guidelines

BELLEVUE, Wash., July 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A groundbreaking study published today in Pediatrics Open Science shows a notable increase in the use of medication to treat pediatric obesity in the United States following the 2023 release of comprehensive guidelines by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The study, conducted by researchers from Truveta and Davene R. Wright, PhD of Harvard Medical School, analyzed real-world electronic health records from Truveta from more than 300,000 children and adolescents and provides the first large-scale evidence of how clinical practice has shifted since the guidelines were introduced.

The study, titled Shifts in U.S. Pediatric Obesity Treatment After the AAP Guidelines, evaluated obesity treatment initiation patterns across a diverse US pediatric patient population between 2021 and 2024. The findings demonstrate that while lifestyle intervention (nutritional counseling or referral) remained the most common treatment pathway, the use of anti-obesity medications—particularly among adolescents—has increased significantly since the AAP recommended offering anti-obesity medications as an adjunct to lifestyle intervention in some groups.

“This research highlights both the promise and complexity of implementing clinical guidelines at scale,” said Dr. Wright, senior author and Associate Professor of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Families and clinicians are navigating treatment decisions amid rapidly evolving evidence, medication access challenges, and strong public discourse. Continued monitoring and support for informed decision making will be essential to ensure patient-centered, equitable access to effective treatment.”

The study analyzed Truveta Data, which includes de-identified electronic health records from more than 120 million patients across 30 US health systems. Researchers found that in the months following the AAP guideline release, the likelihood of initiating medications for weight management among pediatric patients increased significantly (by 65% immediately and an additional 5% monthly thereafter), while nutritional interventions showed a smaller, more gradual rise.

Notably, among those starting anti-obesity medications, the share using semaglutide increased more than tenfold post-guideline, while metformin—historically the most commonly prescribed medication—declined in use substantially.

“The AAP’s new clinical guidelines for pediatric obesity sparked important conversations — and understandable concerns — about the potential for overuse of anti-obesity medications in children,” said Tricia Rodriguez, PhD, MPH, lead author and director of applied research at Truveta. “Our study offers early, real-world insight that may help put those concerns into context."

Rodriguez noted that while the research did observe a meaningful increase in prescribing since the guidelines were released, overall rates of pharmacotherapy remain very low. These treatments were most often used for adolescents with more severe obesity, not broadly among younger children or those with milder health concerns. Rodriguez further suggests that, so far, prescribing decisions appear to be targeted and cautious.

"At the same time, the increase we observed may also reflect rising public awareness and interest in anti-obesity medications, beyond the guidelines alone. Continued research is needed to better understand long-term safety, effectiveness, and access to care—especially as clinical practice and public discourse evolve," said Rodriguez.

Despite the increased adoption, the study points to persistent barriers: fewer than 10% of eligible children had evidence of receipt of a lifestyle intervention, and fewer than 1% received medications for weight management following a visit in which they were eligible. The authors emphasize the importance of addressing structural and systemic barriers—including access to trained providers, insurance coverage limitations, and social stigma—to ensure that all families can benefit from guideline-based care.

This research was funded by Truveta, Inc. and reflects the company’s mission of Saving Lives with Data through real-world evidence. The full article is available open access through Pediatrics Open Science.

About Truveta

Truveta is a collective of 30 US health systems with a shared mission of Saving Lives with Data. Truveta accelerates therapy adoption with regulatory grade safety and effectiveness data replacing slow and expensive clinical trials and registries. Truveta and its health system members lead the Truveta Genome Project, creating the world’s largest and most diverse database of genotypic and phenotypic information to discover the science of humanity, accelerating discovery and improving patient care.

Truveta membership includes Providence, Advocate Health, Trinity Health, Tenet Healthcare, Northwell Health, AdventHealth, Baptist Health of Northeast Florida, Baylor Scott & White Health, Bon Secours Mercy Health, CommonSpirit Health, Hawaii Pacific Health, HealthPartners, Henry Ford Health System, HonorHealth, Inova, Lehigh Valley Health Network, MedStar Health, Memorial Hermann Health System, MetroHealth, Novant Health, Ochsner Health, Premier Health, Saint Luke’s Health System, Sanford Health, Sentara Healthcare, Texas Health Resources, TriHealth, UnityPoint Health, Virtua Health, and WellSpan Health.

Attachments

Ellie Lampton
Truveta
2064092192
ellief@truveta.com

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.