By Joke Kujenya
CONTRIBUTING TO about 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024 and costing more than US$3 trillion annually, obesity has become one of the most significant global health challenges, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated.
Similarly, childhood obesity has overtaken underweight as the most widespread form of malnutrition, with one in ten children worldwide affected, the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports.
Health authorities say they are racing to curb the surge via promoting healthier diets, daily activity, and structured interventions aimed at younger populations.
The challenge, they noted, is most acute in high-income countries, where rising obesity fuels non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Alongside lifestyle measures, new medical treatments, including GLP-1 therapies, are being introduced to help manage the condition over the long term.
The WHO actually warned that, without intervention, the number of people living with obesity could double by 2030.
To address the rising global health burden, WHO released its first guideline on the use of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies for treating obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease, highlighting that obesity affects people in every country and emphasised that treatment should form part of a comprehensive approach that includes healthy diets, regular physical activity and professional care.
“Obesity is a major global health challenge that WHO is committed to addressing by supporting countries and people worldwide to control it, effectively and equitably,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
He added that the guidance recognises obesity as a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care.
“While medication alone won’t solve this global health crisis, GLP-1 therapies can help millions overcome obesity and reduce its associated harms,” he stated.
WHO described obesity as a complex, chronic disease and a major driver of noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer.
The organisation also noted that obesity contributes to poorer outcomes for patients with infectious diseases.
The agency highlighted the economic consequences of obesity, predicting that the global cost of the condition and associated health complications could reach US$3 trillion annually by 2030.
It said the guideline could assist efforts to reduce these rising health costs.
The new guidance contains two key conditional recommendations.
The first recommendation allows GLP-1 therapies to be used by adults, excluding pregnant women, for the long-term treatment of obesity.
WHO stated that evidence demonstrates the efficacy of these therapies in treating obesity and improving metabolic and other outcomes.
However, the recommendation is conditional due to limited data on long-term efficacy and safety, maintenance and discontinuation, high costs, inadequate health-system preparedness, and potential equity implications.
The second recommendation focuses on intensive behavioural interventions.
WHO advised that structured programmes involving healthy diet and physical activity may be offered to adults living with obesity who are prescribed GLP-1 therapies.
It also cited low-certainty evidence indicating that such interventions may enhance treatment outcomes.
The WHO guideline underlined that GLP-1 therapies are the first efficacious treatment option for adults with obesity, but medicines alone will not reverse the obesity challenge, emphasising that obesity is a societal issue requiring multisectoral action and a comprehensive strategy.
The health organ also outlined three pillars for addressing obesity:
▪️Creating healthier environments through population-level policies to promote health and prevent obesity;
▪️Protecting individuals at high risk of developing obesity and related comorbidities through targeted screening and
▪️Structured early interventions; and ensuring access to lifelong, person-centred care.
WHO also stressed the importance of fair access to GLP-1 therapies and preparing health systems for their use as it warned that, without deliberate policies, access to these therapies could worsen existing health disparities.
It therefore urged urgent action on manufacturing, affordability, and health-system readiness to meet global needs.
Furthermore, it projected that even with rapid expansion in production, GLP-1 therapies would reach fewer than 10% of people who could benefit by 2030 noting that the guideline called for strategies to expand access, including pooled procurement, tiered pricing, and voluntary licensing.
Explicitly, it said the GLP-1 therapies were added to WHO’s Essential Medicines List in September 2025 for managing type 2 diabetes in high-risk groups. The new guideline extends their use for obesity treatment, conditional on incorporating professional care, lifestyle changes, and structured behavioural support.
Dr Tedros emphasised that while medication can aid treatment, it is not sufficient alone.
He also said the guidance advocates a multi-pronged approach, combining therapies with broader societal measures and health-system interventions.
WHO finally noted that GLP-1 therapies represent a landmark development in managing obesity as a chronic disease as it highlighted the necessity of global coordination to ensure these therapies reach those in need, coupled with population-level health initiatives to prevent obesity and associated diseases.
