In the US, new guidelines on how paediatricians should treat childhood obesity have been met with some criticism.

The American Academy of Paediatrics has recommended intensive therapy for children as young as six and weight loss drugs and surgery for those in their early teens.

But some fear this approach will come at the expense of a healthy and active lifestyle.

One child in five is obese in the US.

Doctors say early treatment is needed to prevent lifelong conditions, such as diabetes.

I meet Tracy and her 14-year-old daughter, Jaelynn, in a suburb of Washington. They live in a residential complex surrounded by highways and a few patches of green grass.

Tracy is upset – she’s just received the news that Jaelynn’s school is getting rid of the Physical Education class and replacing it with a health course taught in the classroom.

She’s worried because her daughter already doesn’t get much chance to move and socialise with her classmates. She thinks the new class will make it even more difficult.

Jaelynn tells me that last year she enrolled in a summer camp organised by the YMCA. She would go on field trips during the day and spend plenty of time outside.

“It was really fun,” she says. “I felt better, I felt healthier, and I loved making friends.”

Jaelynn has suffered from kidney disease since she was a child, and her being overweight negatively impacts her condition. But her mum says during the summer things started to improve.

“She lost twelve pounds in three months,” Tracy says. “Her nephrologist was really impressed that she could lose so much so quickly. Her health improved and her confidence as well.”