WEIGHT-LOSS jabs can be considered for kids as young as ten, the World Health Organisation has recommended.
The UN agency, issuing its first advice on treating , said the patients must first have tried to fight flab through diet and exercise.
The organisation, which estimates there are 170million worldwide, said that under strict conditions surgery such as fitting a gastric band or sleeve could also be considered for those aged at least ten if they are severely obese.
But Dr Luz María De Regil, a WHO director, stressed: “The foundation of care for children is not medicine or surgery.
“It is access to support that enables healthy eating, physical activity and sustainable behaviour change.
“Our priority must be to ensure every child can access quality care and supportive environments from an early age.”
Kids as young as four in England have been treated at obesity clinics, and some have received weight-loss jabs aged 11.
About one in five 11-year-olds in England are estimated to be obese.
Doctors are allowed to prescribe slimming jabs to patients as young as 12 in the UK.
can be prescribed to children aged ten or above only if they have type 2 .
