New Childhood Obesity Guidelines May Cause Increase in Eating Disorders

Clinics oppose efforts to emphasize individual body size, which they say perpetuates weight stigma

Eating Disorders could increase in the wake of childhood obesity guidelines, experts say. Tikhonova Yana/Shutterstock

An irreconcilable divide between the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and therapists and groups treating childhood eating disorders highlights the convoluted problem of childhood obesity amid a society where junk foods are cheap and plentiful and nutrition education is scarce.

The AAP’s new guidelines are meant to advise doctors on stronger treatments for obese child patients, especially those with dangerous comorbidities like diabetes. Eating disorder therapists and organizations say the AAP is overstating the health risks associated with obesity and the guidelines pose a greater risk, in and of themselves, because they will lead to an increase in disordered eating.

Opposing Views

The new guidelines from the AAP encourage doctors to treat obese children as young as 12 with pharmaceuticals and bariatric surgery in certain circumstances. The emphasis of the new guidelines is on measurements—body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and blood glucose. The AAP guidelines say medical interventions are necessary in part because of weight stigma.