Overview
This guideline covers the prevention and management of overweight, obesity and central adiposity in children, young people and adults. It brings together and updates all NICE's previous guidelines on overweight and obesity. It does not cover pregnancy.
Last reviewed: 8 January 2026
We amended recommendations 1.10.5, 1.10.10 and 1.10.11 and the corresponding rationale sections to clarify that height-to-weight ratios should only be used to classify the degree of central adiposity in children and young people aged 5 years and over.
This guideline updates and replaces NICE guideline NG7 (2015), NICE guideline CG189 (2014), NICE guideline PH53 (2014), NICE guideline PH47 (2013), NICE guideline PH46 (2013), NICE guideline PH42 (2012) and NICE guideline CG43 (2006).
Next review: This guideline will be reviewed if there is new evidence that is likely to change the recommendations.
How we prioritise updating our guidance
Decisions about updating our guidance are made by NICE’s prioritisation board. For more information on the principles and process, see NICE-wide topic prioritisation: the manual.
For information about individual topics, including any decisions affecting this guideline, see the summary table of prioritisation board decisions.
Recommendations
This guideline includes new and updated recommendations on:
- general principles of care
- prevention in schools and nurseries
- identification, assessment and referral
- specific advice for people from ethnic minority backgrounds
- behavioural overweight and obesity management interventions
- dietary advice
- raising awareness of interventions
- planning and funding services and interventions
- multidisciplinary teams for children
These supplement the existing recommendations on:
- general principles of care
- information and support to help people maintain a healthier weight
- local or regional strategic partnerships to prevent overweight and obesity
- physical activity
- medicines for overweight and obesity
- surgical interventions
- monitoring and evaluating services and interventions.
See the 1-page visual summaries on principles of care and the potential care journey.
Who is it for?
- Healthcare professionals
- Commissioners and providers
- People who work in, and are responsible for providing, services in the wider public, private, voluntary and community sectors
- Childcare settings, nurseries and schools
- Employers
- People using services, their families and carers, and the public
- Members of the public, particularly those living with overweight or obesity, their families and carers
Guideline development process
How we develop NICE guidelines
Your responsibility
The recommendations in this guideline represent the view of NICE, arrived at after careful consideration of the evidence available. When exercising their judgement, professionals and practitioners are expected to take this guideline fully into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences and values of their patients or the people using their service. It is not mandatory to apply the recommendations, and the guideline does not override the responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual, in consultation with them and their families and carers or guardian.
All problems (adverse events) related to a medicine or medical device used for treatment or in a procedure should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using the Yellow Card Scheme.
Local commissioners and providers of healthcare have a responsibility to enable the guideline to be applied when individual professionals and people using services wish to use it. They should do so in the context of local and national priorities for funding and developing services, and in light of their duties to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, to advance equality of opportunity and to reduce health inequalities. Nothing in this guideline should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with complying with those duties.
Commissioners and providers have a responsibility to promote an environmentally sustainable health and care system and should assess and reduce the environmental impact of implementing NICE recommendations wherever possible.