Weight loss surgeries on the rise among kids and teens, study finds: ‘Altering the anatomy’
Fox News
A growing number of kids and teens are turning to weight loss surgery amid rising rates of pediatric obesity, according to a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
The researchers were particularly interested in looking at these trends after the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a statement in late 2019 endorsing increased access to bariatric surgery for teens, said lead study author Sarah Messiah, PhD, professor and pediatric obesity researcher at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. "People see it as ‘the easy way out,’ but it's honestly the only way out for 95% of people who are morbidly obese." "All the medical options need to be exhausted before they consider surgery, because surgery is irreversible." "With bariatric surgery, you're altering the anatomy of the GI tract." Melissa Rudy is health editor and a member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital.
The study drew on data from across six years from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, which accredits bariatric surgery centers in the U.S. and Canada.