Strategies in the Management of Adolescent Obesity

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We review the current options to manage adolescent obesity which include nutrition, physical activity, behavior modification, sleep management, pharmacotherapy and surgery. Since lifestyle interventions alone are often not effective in adolescents, a multi-disciplinary treatment approach is necessary in management. RECENT FINDINGS: Medications (often used off-label) and metabolic/bariatric surgery are effective treatment strategies to treat adolescents with severe obesity. SUMMARY: The use of pharmacotherapy and surgery is limited due to lack of pediatric obesity tertiary care centers. With more centers, the treatment of adolescent obesity will improve and aid to decrease the prevalence of adult obesity.