Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We invite you to add your comments - if you have feedback for the blog, would like some specific topics covered, or you just want to share your experience as a parent dealing with childhood obesity.

Thursday, May 06, 2010

Most Docs Say Stomach Surgery Bad Idea for Overweight Teens

Reducing teen obesity is a worthy effort -- but a majority of doctors believe that stomach surgery for overweight teens is not a good idea, according to a new study published in the journal Obesity Surgery.

Researchers from the University of Michigan used a random sample of pediatricians and family physicians, asking them their opinion of bariatric surgery for adolescents. Half said they would not consider recommending it.

"Physicians worry whether the risks outweigh the benefits," said Susan Woolford, lead author. "How long adolescents will be able to sustain the weight loss and what the psychological outcomes would be in their futures are questions that are still being explored."
 

Labels: overweight, teenagers, surgeries

Posted By: Aspen Education Group

Comments:

former_teacher on 5/7/2010
I'm loathe to ever say *never* -- but I've got to believe that the times when weight loss surgery is the best choice for a teenager are extremely rare. Glad that someone with more knowledge of this issue than me is also sounding the alarm about this problem. The question, as always, though, is whether this message is getting through to the parents who need to hear it.