Weight-Loss Surgeries , for Adolescents Increasing, Amid Rise in Obesity, Study Finds.
'Time' reports that the increase comes amid an overall rise in the number of obesity treatments in the U.S. In 2021, the number of adolescents who underwent metabolic or bariatric surgery between the ages of 10 and 19 rose 20% from the year before.
A research letter published May 30 in the 'Journal of the American Medical Association, Pediatrics' found that the rate of these surgeries also rose among minors between 2019 and 2020.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 20% of children and adolescents in the U.S. live with obesity.
Bariatric surgery hasn’t necessarily been accepted or embraced by the pediatric community or pediatricians, Sarah Messiah, study co-author and professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, via 'Time'.
In January, the American Academy of Pediatrics released new guidelines on obesity treatments for children and teens.
'Time' reports that the guidelines include recommendations for prescription weight loss drugs and evaluations prior to surgery.
In 2019, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement calling for greater access to weight-loss surgery, citing evidence the procedure helps young people.
The data at this point is overwhelming that it’s effective.
It helps these adolescents lose weight.
It helps them get healthier.
Why should we wait?, Sarah Messiah, study co-author and professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, via 'Time'
