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.
"Nearly 9 percent of obese children experienced difficult mask ventilation, compared with 2 percent of normal-weight children. Seventeen percent of obese children in the study experienced major oxygen desaturation (decreased oxygen in the blood), compared with 9 percent of normal-weight children."Obese children also had greater occurrences of airway obstructions. Read more at Newswise.com.
Labels: complications, surgeries
Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments
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 1 Comment
The continued growth of American teenage waistlines has both parents and professionals willing to consider every possible option for healthy teen weight loss. One option that has been successful with adults, but isn’t yet approved for teens, is gastric band surgery. But some worry that the risks are greater than the benefits.
The company [Allergan] has an application in with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seeking approval to market the device to teens as young as 14. A decision could come any time. Winning regulatory approval for the gastric band in teenagers would allow companies that make the devices – Allergan, Johnson & Johnson and others – to target that specific age group.
Today, regulators consider performing the procedure on the teens ‘experimental’ [Source: Reuters]
Teens can still undergo gastric band surgery, with written consent from a doctor, but if the FDA approves Allergan’s request, the surgery will be available to teens with or without physician approval.
Labels: gastric band, teenagers, surgeries
Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment
A recent study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found that obese teens who are given a choice between gastric bands and gastric bypass surgery prefer the bands. However, the procedure is relatively new among young people, and its safety is still in question.
“Gastric band surgery may appeal to teens because of an intense marketing campaign by manufacturers, the researchers wrote. The adjustability and possible reversibility may also appeal to young people… Insurance concerns may also drive surgery choices: Those who were paying for their own procedures were more likely to get gastric band surgery (it’s less expensive).” - Source: Live Science
Because of the uncertainties about both the safety and efficacy of gastric band surgery in teenagers, the procedure hasn’t been approved by the FDA for use in young people. Exceptions can be made, but researchers emphasized that gastric surgery of any kind should be a last resort for obese teens who have tried diet and exercise but haven’t been able to lose weight.
Labels: gastric band, teens, surgeries
Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 2 Comments
A doctor at New York University Medical Center has raised concerns that the facility is rushing through too many lap band surgeries and not providing enough follow-up care after the operations are performed.
Dr. Neelu Pal is not alone in having concerns: many doctors who specialize in helping obese patients are questioning the long-term effectiveness and safety of lap band surgery, especially when it is performed on teenagers.
Mary Brandt is an investigator for a government study called Teen Longitudinal Assessment for Bariatric Surgery.
"Bands are definitely safe in the short term and definitely work in the short term," she said."What we don't know is about the long-term. I think there is a fundamental problem with putting a rigid plastic object around a moving organ. ... You're asking it to stay in place and not erode over a long period of time. ... I'll be happy to reverse my position as soon as I see ten or 20-year data."
Dr. Pal raised concerns that the NYU facility was performing as many as 20 lap band surgeries a day. "I could see what they were trying to do was get as many patients onto the operating table as possible," she said. The death of a 14-year-old boy who died of infection after a surgery at NYU is currently under litigation.
Lap band surgery does not address the problem that most patients eat for emotional reasons, including undiagnosed depression. A recent small study indicated that the majority of patients who underwent lap band surgery develop problems with substance abuse.
Labels: surgeries
Posted By: Jane St. Clair 0 Comments
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