GLP-1 prescriptions for obesity among young children remain uncommon, despite a sharp increase in recent years.
Researchers examined prescription trends among children ages 3 to 5 in the United States.
The findings highlight the importance of understanding how these medications are being used in very young children.
GLP-1 medications have become a widely discussed treatment for obesity, but their use in young children is still relatively uncommon.
A new study from NYU Langone Health looks at how often these medications are prescribed to children and how those patterns have changed over time.
The medications, which include Saxenda, Wegovy, and Zepbound, can help with weight loss, blood sugar regulation, and appetite control. While clinical guidelines allow certain GLP-1 medications to be used for obesity in children as young as 8, researchers wanted to better understand how often younger patients are receiving them.
“Our study offers the first national overview in young children of the use of GLP-1 drugs to fight the obesity epidemic in the United States and shows that while the absolute numbers of children under the age of 12 receiving GLP-1 treatment is still low, GLP-1 use is accelerating rapidly,” lead investigator and obesity medicine specialist Babak J. Orandi, MD, PhD, said in a news release.
“The careful use of GLP-1s remains a valuable tool in confronting the obesity epidemic among young Americans.”
How researchers examined prescription trends
The research team used Epic Cosmos, a national database containing electronic health records from more than 300 million American patients. The database includes information from 2,067 hospitals and 47,100 health clinics that use Epic.
Researchers examined GLP-1 prescriptions for children ages 8 to 11 who had obesity but did not have diabetes. They looked at prescription patterns over time, including differences based on age, sex, and community income levels.
The study also examined the health conditions of children receiving these medications, helping researchers understand the medical circumstances surrounding their use.
What the findings mean for families
The researchers found that GLP-1 prescriptions among children ages 8 to 11 with obesity increased substantially, rising from 0.03% in 2019 to 9.3% in 2026. Over that period, 20,282 children in this age group received prescriptions.
Most children prescribed the medications had severe obesity, and 65.2% had at least one obesity-related health condition. Girls were more likely than boys to receive prescriptions, and children in higher-income communities were 55% more likely to receive them than those in lower-income communities.
Despite the sharp increase, the researchers emphasized that GLP-1 use among children under 12 remains relatively low.
The findings also raise questions about access. Researchers noted that the cost of these medications and access to pediatric healthcare could affect which families are able to obtain treatment.
They also stressed the importance of monitoring children over time to better understand the medications' long-term safety and effectiveness. Clinical trials involving children as young as 6 are underway, which could provide additional information for parents and doctors.
For families, the study offers a snapshot of a changing treatment landscape. While GLP-1 medications may be an option for some children with obesity, researchers say continued monitoring and further research will be important as their use grows.
“Physicians and health policymakers alike have a responsibility to ensure, as use of GLP-1 medications continues to rise, that all young children with obesity who need these drugs have access to them and that these valuable and sometimes costly treatments become available to more than those who have access to health insurance and can afford to visit pediatric clinics,” researcher Allan B. Massie, Ph.D., said in the release.