UAE doctors are warning of a rise in medical complications linked to childhood obesity, conditions that until recently were seen almost exclusively in adults. Dr Mamata Bothra, a paediatrics and neonatology specialist at International Modern Hospital Dubai, says young patients are now presenting with insulin resistance, fatty liver disease, high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol levels.
Dr Bart van Wagensveld, a bariatric and laparoscopic surgeon at the Weight Style Clinic within NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, said teenagers aged 10 to 19 are particularly at risk of serious complications, including type 2 diabetes, sleep apnoea and psychological distress. According to the World Health Organization, the share of children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 living with obesity worldwide rose from 2 per cent in 1990 to 8 per cent in 2024, now affecting roughly 170 million young people.
Doctors stressed that treatment should follow WHO guidance, focusing on diet, physical activity and behavioural change, and that weight-loss medication, surgery or medical devices are not appropriate for children under 10. Any treatment plan, they said, needs to be built around individual assessment, realistic goals, regular follow-up and active family involvement.
The warning comes as the UAE pushes a broader campaign to cut sugar, salt and saturated fat from food products and encourage healthier family lifestyles, an issue that has become a growing priority for the country's health policymakers.