The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued updated guidelines for obesity treatment in 2023. Following the new recommendations, medication prescriptions like GLP-1s increased significantly. A recent study published in the AAP journal found that among patients aged 8 to 17, there was a 65% immediate increase in medication prescriptions after implementing the guidelines.
The study used electronic health records data from over 310,000 patients and tracked prescription rates for five months following the new guidelines. The results showed that medication prescriptions continued to rise monthly, with only minimal increases in nutrition counseling.
Source: https://www.statnews.com/2025/07/16/health-news-medicare-efficiency-cuts-obesity-guidelines-protein-structure-morning-rounds