Icelandic pediatrician criticizes Directorate of Health for slow response to child obesity crisis

Approximately 50 children in Iceland are currently receiving weight management medications, such as Ozempic and Wegovy. A pediatrician who treats many of these children criticizes the Directorate of Health for adopting an ineffective approach to the obesity issue and for being slow to take action.

Pediatrician Tryggvi Helgason emphasizes the need for extensive measures to combat obesity. He describes the medication as a potentially groundbreaking method for treating severe obesity but asserts that medication alone is insufficient to tackle the broader societal problem of overweight children. In Iceland, an estimated 5,000 children are believed to struggle with obesity, and those classified with second-degree obesity may receive subsidies for these medications through the country’s health insurance system.

Helgason has over a year and a half of experience administering these medications, which have already benefitted many patients, although some children have discontinued their treatment. He criticizes the Directorate of Health for their reluctance to publicly share statistics on child obesity, making little information available about this growing concern on their website.

Dóra Guðrún Guðmundsdóttir, head of the public health department at the Directorate of Health, disagrees with Helgason’s critique. She believes that carelessly phrased discussions about obesity can contribute to stigma within the healthcare system. She insists that any approach to obesity must be respectful toward those affected.

Iceland ranks high among countries facing significant overweight challenges according to OECD statistics. As a result, Icelandic health authorities have chosen to set lower criteria for access to weight management medications compared to other Nordic countries, thereby expanding options for more individuals to obtain subsidized support.