Children with obesity should get proactive treatment: American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines

ABC ^ | 08 Jan 2023 | yDr. Nicole McLean and Dr. Karra Manier

[blueplum]

Children and adolescents should be proactively evaluated and treated for obesity, according to new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics around childhood obesity.

The guidelines note that treatments, including medications and weight loss surgery, can be effective and can help reduce the risk of developing other health conditions....

... for teens with severe obesity, weight loss surgery is a safe and effective option....

[Tommy Revolts]

Put down the quarter pounders and shakes, then get off your lard ass and get some exercise.

[NicoDon]

thats the point. Much like sex-changes in teens and pre-teens, the medical community has gone off the rails because of greed. So much for the Hippocratic Oath.

[Dead Corpse]

Bring back the agōgē and the gymnasium. Worked for the Greeks for few centuries.

[moovova]

“I mountain bike at a local state park for exercise and I see families hiking and kids biking all the time and they are having the time of their lives.”

Same here. I see parents with their kids doing the same thing on the greenway. There’s more going on there than exercise...there’s some good parenting too. Does my heart good.

[Not_Who_U_Think]

RE: bariatric surgery

A family member had that done. For a year or so, they lost weight and made an amazing turn around. They looked 20 years younger! They took an interest in outside activities.

And then, they slowly gained it back. Today, they look no different than before the surgery.

[RoosterRedux]

Out where I ride, there are lots of RV's on the weekends and screaming kids are everywhere on their bikes. I sometimes ride through the campgrounds just because it lifts my spirits so much to hear all these kids having so much fun.

I also ride through the RV campgrounds at dinnertime for all the great BBQ aromas floating through the atmosphere.

Funny thing...I never see anyone wearing a mask.;-)

[Lizavetta]

The guidelines note that treatments, including medications and weight loss surgery, can be effective and can help reduce the risk of developing other health conditions.

In other words, another ginormous revenue stream for doctors, hospitals, and big pharma. Just like the "gender care" crap.

Because recommending the obvious - eat better and move more - would generate them zero dollars.

[Bikkuri]

"I'll bet most kids who are getting fat have easy access to high-sugar and high-carb treats. They are addictive."

And the fact that those "diet" sodas are just as bad (and this is including adults that drink that stuff)...

[Bikkuri]

"you caould only get healthy food on food stamps"

I agree.
Not sure what different state laws on the EBT (green stamps with a card) are, but even with the restrictions that it must be cold (not heated), there are foods that you can buy pre-cooked that are still healthy (and not junk food) that are much healthier than the junk they are allowed to buy.

Here in Hawaii, I see people using the EBT card like a credit card, that are buying enough junk food to kill a rhino (:/) without even buying life sustainable food :P (usually those that do this are the Micronesians, which are ...hmm... best way to describe them is a walking beachball).

[PsyCon]

Unfortunately, AAP has been giving bad advice for years and continues to do so. Unless these are severely & morbidly obese children, surgery and medications are a terrible idea.

Better to target the family cluster. Exercise and dietary corrections (either focusing on calories or carbohydrates) for the child. Serious coaching & retraining for the family — especially the food preparers, enablers & suppliers. There is almost always someone inside or nearby helping to sabotage weight loss. Too often the role played by the fat kid is to be the family problem keeping the focus off everyone else.

[ConservativeWarrior]

Note the subtle PC speak...

“Children suffering from obesity” no longer “Obese children”.

Eating crap and sitting on you butt isn’t “suffering”.