Authors
1 Associate Professor of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Head of Maternal and Childhood Obesity Research Center, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Motahari Hospital, Urmia, Iran.
2 Medical Ethics PhD Student, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction: Childhood obesity is a growing global health problem, but in the view of medical ethics, obesity management in children is associated with challenges.
Method and materials: This study is a comprehensive review in English (Cochrane Library, and PubMed) and Persian literature which pointed to the ethical aspects of pediatrics obesity management with content analysis.
Results: In the childhood obesity interventions, clinical trials should be carefully designed with obtaining approval of ethics committee, selection of the appropriate outcomes, contributing to the family, the assent of the child and consent of family, confidentiality, truth telling, fairness and avoiding discrimination and stigma paid investments. Each of community, government, health systems, media and family have special responsibilities in these interventions that cause a somehow violation of personal freedom, privacy invasion and interference with lifestyle options. In the meantime, with the help of four ethical principles (Autonomy, Beneficence, Justice, Non-maleficence) interventions within the ethical boundaries can be identified. In principle of autonomy with regard to parents are the child’s legal guardians, sometimes with focus on the right refuse obesity interventions. But Islamic ethics and sound medical judgment dictate that with the observance of other moral principles [like la darar wa la dirar (No harm and no harassment) and maslaha (benefit)] in the cases of severe or complicated obesity which obviously affected the lifetime or health of the child done interventions, in the view of duty-oriented. However, obesity in children can be deemed a kind of negligence or neglect of children's health and opposed with provisions of the Convention of rights of children which based on medical paternalistic attitude build Medical intervention obligatory.
Conclusion: To fight obesity, appropriate interventions require full compliance with medical ethics in schools, families and society. In this context, the compiling of ethical guidelines in child obesity interventions will be helpful.
Keywords: Obesity, Children, Management, medical Ethical.
Keywords
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