Putting new guidelines on treating obesity into a global context

The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new guidelines on treating the 14 million children and teens in the US who are considered obese. Gone is the wait-and-see approach. Recommendations include a more proactive approach by pediatricians and primary care physicians along with prompt referrals to intensive health behavior and lifestyle treatment, prescribing weight loss drugs or advising surgery in some cases. Marco Werman puts these news guidelines in a global perspective in a conversation with Nik Dhurandhar, editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Obesity and a professor of nutrition at Texas Tech University.