Pediatric obesity is a serious disease and its prevalence has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many factors can contribute to excess weight gain in youth including genetics/biology, the obesogenic environment, stress and sleep routines. Shedding new light on these areas, top experts will speak about pediatric obesity at ObesityWeek^® 2022, The Obesity Society's (TOS) Annual Meeting, a hybrid event set for Nov. 1–4, in San Diego, Calif., and on www.obesityweek.org.

"Symposia and presentations offered at ObesityWeek^® are by many of the world's top leaders, who are pushing the most innovative science that advances research for children and adolescents who struggle with the disease of pediatric obesity," said Justin Ryder, PhD, chair of the TOS Pediatric Obesity Section, and assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis.

A sample of pediatric obesity sessions to be held at the conference include:

• TOS/CDC Joint Symposium: Connecting the CORD-;Child Obesity Research Demonstration 3.0
  This two-part symposium will provide an overview of projects and highlight two examples of innovative approaches being used by sites to increase access to pediatric obesity treatment.
• TOS/AAP Joint Symposium: AAP Obesity Treatment Guidelines: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Drafting of a Clinical Practice Guide
  Attend a joint symposium by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and The Obesity Society on the development of the highly anticipated new AAP Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline for children and adolescents with obesity. Speakers will include Sarah E. Hampl, MD; Ihouma Eneli, MD, MS; Sarah C. Armstrong, MD; and Sarah E. Barlow, MD, MPH. Session Co-chairs are Aaron S. Kelly, PhD, FTOS and Ania M. Jastreboff, MD, PhD.
• TOS/WOF/EASO/Obesity Canada Joint Symposium: International Innovations in Pediatric Obesity
  Speakers from Canada, Australia and Ireland will discuss ongoing paradigm shifts in the prevention and treatment of pediatric obesity. Experts will include Mary Forhan, OT, PhD; Bradley C. Johnston, PhD; Louise A. Baur; Aaron S. Kelly, PhD, FTOS; Geoff Ball, PhD, RD, FTOS; Hiba Jebeile, PhD, APD; and Louise Tully, RNutr, PhD. This session was produced by The Obesity Society, World Obesity Federation, European Association for the Study of Obesity and Obesity Canada.
• Oral 020- Once-Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide 2.4 mg in Adolescents with Overweight or Obesity with Extended Q&A
  Top-line results will be presented from the first randomized-controlled trial of semaglutide 2.4 mg in adolescents with obesity. Following the presentation, join lead author Daniel Weghuber, MD, along with co-author Aaron Kelly, PhD, FTOS, and two experts not involved in the study (Claudia Fox, MD, MPH, and Sarah Armstrong, MD) for an extended discussion and clinical interpretation of the findings.
• Environmental Barriers to Primary Prevention of Childhood Obesity
  Obesity is increasingly becoming a disease of low-income and minority populations in the United States and abroad, disproportionately impacting children of color. Listen to experts such as Session Chair Lara R. Dugas, PhD, MPH, FTOS, and speakers Lacey A. McCormack, PhD, MPH, RD; Angela Odoms-Young, PhD; and Simon Baquera, MD, PhD, MS, FTOS, regarding the impact of environmental factors on childhood obesity and solutions for moving forward to improve primary prevention in the populations most burdened.

Media representatives interested in covering the pediatric obesity sessions need to register for ObesityWeek^® 2022. Registration is free but members of the press need to request a code by sending an email to TOS Director of Communications/Media Relations Chanel Carrington at [email protected]