A retrospective cross-sectional study of repeated annual cohorts in the Epic Cosmos electronic health record network examined GLP-1 receptor agonist prescriptions (liraglutide, semaglutide, tirzepatide) for 3,520,531 US children aged 8 to 11 with obesity and without diabetes, from January 2019 to June 2026. Overall 0.6% received a prescription, rising steeply across the period, with prescribing concentrated in children with obesity-related comorbidities (188.9 per 10,000). Children in areas of low social vulnerability were prescribed at 76.1 per 10,000 against 49.2 per 10,000 in high-vulnerability areas.
Why it is interesting: Absolute uptake is small, and prescribing is higher in areas of low than of high social vulnerability.