The Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) today announced the immediate availability of the 2020-2022 Pediatric Obesity Algorithm, which includes new information for clinicians such as specific considerations for special populations, nutritional recommendations for patients with obesity and adiposity-related diseases, and advanced therapies for pediatric obesity.
Childhood obesity, particularly in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, presents a serious public health threat. Treatment for childhood obesity requires a specialized understanding of a patient's family and cultural background as well as medical and psychological expertise. OMA's Pediatric Obesity Algorithm educates clinicians and helps them implement these kinds of evidence-based practices."
Suzanne Cuda, MD, FAAP, FOMA, and Co-Author of the Pediatric Obesity Algorithm
The OMA Pediatric Obesity Algorithm guidelines are a clinical tool to help health care professionals make informed decisions when treating obesity in children. The resource provides age-specific treatment recommendations and approaches for clinicians who are treating patients with obesity or referring them to childhood obesity specialists. Contents of the OMA Pediatric Obesity Algorithm include:
- Overall management goals
- Epigenetics
- Assessment
- Obesity as a disease
- Differential diagnosis
- Review of symptoms
- Diagnostic work-up
- Physical exam
- Nutritional recommendations and management
- Activity recommendations
- Comorbidities
- Pharmacology
- Medication-related weight gain
Originally released in 2016, the OMA Pediatric Obesity Algorithm was developed by practicing pediatricians and clinicians who treat obesity in infants, children and adolescents. Every two years, the OMA Pediatric Obesity Algorithm undergoes a rigorous review by a committee that represents a diverse range of clinicians, allied health professionals, clinical researchers and academicians, in order to reflect a multidisciplinary and balanced group of experts in obesity science, evaluation and treatment. All contents in the OMA Pediatric Obesity Algorithm are based upon scientific evidence, supported by medical literature and derived from clinical experiences.
"The science and clinical management of obesity is ever-evolving," said Dr. Cuda. "To ensure clinicians are equipped with the latest scientific evidence, medical literature and clinical experience to inform their treatment recommendations, OMA utilizes its diverse network of professionals and resources to update the Pediatric Obesity Algorithm so it is as timely and applicable as possible."
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