GLP-1 Prescriptions for Young Kids Jumped 310-Fold Since 2019, Study Finds

The share of children ages 8 to 11 without diabetes who were prescribed GLP-1 medications — a class of weight-loss drugs that are also used to treat diabetes — climbed from 0.3% in 2019 to 9.3% by mid-2026, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics. That is a 310-fold increase over roughly seven years. The study looked only at children who did not have diabetes, since GLP-1 drugs are prescribed for that condition as well as for weight loss.

Researchers calculated the prescribing rates by analyzing Epic electronic health record data drawn from health systems across the country. Among more than 3.5 million children with obesity who were studied over that period, about 20,200 in total received a GLP-1 prescription. Most of the children who were prescribed the medications had what the study classified as severe obesity, rather than milder forms of the condition.

Girls were more likely than boys to be prescribed the drugs, the study found. Older children were also more likely to receive a prescription than younger children were, as were children living in wealthier communities.