The number of children and adolescents undergoing weight loss surgery to treat their obesity has nearly doubled in recent years.
The rate at which young people get bariatric or metabolic surgeries (MBS) has increased from 726 in 2016 to about 1,300 in 2021.
These operations change the size and function of the stomach and intestines to help with weight loss and reduce food intake.
The number of weight loss surgeries performed rose sharply – nearly 20 percent – from 2020 to 2021 as the Covid pandemic limited children’s opportunities to play and exercise and increased their use of video games and social media.
There have been some instances of doctors expressing concern about introducing surgery versus less invasive lifestyle changes, but most in the medical field agree that children cannot afford to go without medical care. intervention.
A staggering 20 percent of American youth are obese with one-in-four dangerously overweight
Fewer than 730 young people underwent MBS surgeries in 2016. That number will reach about 1,300 in 2021
Childhood obesity rates in the US increased 17% from 2011 to 2020, with 12- to 19-year-olds most at risk
Childhood obesity has been called one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century, according to the World Health Organization.
An estimated one in five children 19 and younger is obese, a 17 percent jump from previous data gathered in 2016 and a far cry from the five percent obesity rate in the 1970s.
Obesity causes damage to nearly every part of a child’s body, putting strain on the heart and lungs, disrupting hormones that control blood sugar and puberty, and increasing the likelihood of high blood pressure of blood and cholesterol.
In addition to contributing to sleep apnea, an increased risk of heart disease, and fatty liver disease, obesity can also take a toll on a child’s self-esteem and mental health in the long term. .
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the leading professional organization for children’s medicine, released a policy in 2019 recommending MBS surgeries in cases of severe pediatric obesity, marking a major change in the way treatment is done. obesity.
The American physicians behind the recent report, published in JAMA Pediatricsstudied obesity surgery and trends in nearly 1.4 million people ages 10 to 19 with an average age of about 12 years.
The team wanted to see how the 2019 AAP policy specifically changed the rate at which doctors perform MBS surgery in young people.
They estimate that in 2016 fewer than 730 young people underwent MBS surgeries compared to around 1,300 in 2021.
In 2019, around 970 young people went under the knife. That rate grew to 1,100 in 2020 and again to 1,300 in 2021, a nearly 19 percent increase.
Bariatric and metabolic surgeries are effective and long-term treatments for severe obesity but have long been underutilized for various reasons. Operations are not cheap and insurance will not always cover the cost.
There is also a huge stigma attached to using medication to treat obesity instead of diet, exercise, and willpower. Many people still believe that taking medicine like Wegovy or surgery is the easy way out.
They said: ‘Behavioural lifestyle interventions alone do not result in long-term, clinically important weight loss in adolescents with severe obesity. Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is a safe and effective treatment.’
However, some experts in the field including Dr Robert Lustig, an expert in pediatric endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco, believe that weight loss and surgery ‘put a Band-Aid on the problem’ and do not ‘ -fixing the problem. ‘
MBS surgeries shrink the stomach and bypass a portion of the intestine, thereby reducing food intake and changing how the body absorbs food for energy. This results in decreased hunger and increased feelings of satiety.
Although the rate has almost doubled in the past five years, rates of pediatric surgeries remain low due to concerns that medical interventions are too aggressive for minors.
And while an irreversible surgery on a teenager may seem like a risky step too far, experts are quick to point out that the health risks attached to severe obesity are too great not to undergo MBS.
The reasons for ballooning obesity rates across the country are multifaceted. In general, Americans consume more calories. According to Pew Research Centerthe average American consumed 2,481 calories a day in 2010, an increase of more than 20 percent since 1970.
At the same time, young people are not getting the recommended amount of physical exercise to maintain a healthy weight. A 2022 report from researchers at the University of Georgia found that about three out of every four young people don’t get enough exercise.
And to compound the problem, children are more likely than adults to eat unhealthy ‘junk’ food, according to researchers from the University of Toronto, Canada.
They found that snacks with childlike packaging such as cartoon characters and multi-colored designs contained an average of 63 percent more sugar, the equivalent of one and a half teaspoons.
They are also lower in protein, fiber, calcium and iron — nutrients that are important for growth and development, especially in younger children.
