This headline, as published by AP News, stopped me in my tracks: New guidance: Use drugs, surgery early for obesity in kids.
Certainly, I thought, the title must be misleading.
Unfortunately, I was wrong!
You don’t have to read very far to find these unbelievable statements:
- Children struggling with obesity should be evaluated and treated early and aggressively, with medications for kids as young as 12 and surgery for those as young as 13 who qualify, according to new guidelines released by the American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday, January 9, 2023.
- In general, doctors should offer adolescents 12 and older who have obesity access to appropriate drugs and teens 13 and older with severe obesity referrals for weight-loss surgery, though situations may vary.
- The guidelines aim to reset the inaccurate view of obesity as “a personal problem, maybe a failure of the person’s diligence,” said Dr. Sandra Hassink, medical director for the AAP Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight, and a co-author of the guidelines.
- Obesity is not a lifestyle problem. It is not a lifestyle disease,” he said. “It predominately emerges from biological factors.”
Are you kidding me?! No, you’re not kidding me.
However, millions of parents and kids will be misled into thinking that they were born destined to become overweight or obese. And that nothing can be done, minus surgery and drugs, to prevent or reverse their condition.
How sad. In fact, it’s more than just sad. It’s inhumane.
Who could imagine that educated and trained professionals would ignore basic logic and science to serve themselves and their pocketbook? And unfortunately, at the physical, emotional, and financial expense of the very people they are misleading.
What else can our misguided institutions and governmental agencies do to harm the health and well-being of our children? Haven’t they done enough already?
Obesity is a problem.
According to the article, “Obesity affects nearly 20% of kids and teens in the U.S. and about 42% of adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
From a health perspective, nothing good comes from being overweight or obese. You can find a list of health consequences as published by the CDC here.
Certainly, kids who are overweight or obese are on the wrong path and headed for a myriad of potential health challenges, including type 2 diabetes and a host of other related diseases.
But let’s get real.
The majority of children who become overweight or obese end up that way because of overfeeding, primarily with low-nutrient, high-calorie, high sugar foods. And because of lack of movement. So why don’t we start there?
Of course, genetics and a predisposition for being overweight, stress, and medications can also be factors. But they can be largely mitigated through lifestyle choices and decisions made by the parents or care givers, and by the kids themselves.
Regardless of the claim you read earlier, obesity IS largely a lifestyle problem. It IS a lifestyle disease.
As published by the CDC, “Can Type 2 Diabetes Be Prevented? Yes! You can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes with proven, achievable lifestyle changes—such as losing a small amount of weight and getting more physically active—even if you’re at high risk.”
And the Harvard School of Public Health website states, “The good news is that prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are largely preventable. About 9 in 10 cases in the U.S. can be avoided by making lifestyle changes. These same changes can also lower the chances of developing heart disease and some cancers. The key to prevention can be boiled down to five words: Stay lean and stay active.”
If adults can make these improvements, why are we being led to believe that for kids as young as 12 or 13, drugs and surgery for being overweight are their only hope? And what do we know about the long-term consequences of taking drugs or having invasive surgery at such a young age?
But maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. Our once highly-regarded medical community seems to have quickly endorsed the practice of experimenting on kids. Many are now initiating the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors, and so-called gender transition surgeries, which we know have dire consequences.
I guess treating kids who are overweight through drugs and surgery is their next frontier into the unknown.
But there is hope.
Parents must not fall into the trap of being the victim . . . that there is no hope.
Parents have choices they can and must make for their children. It is our responsibility as parents to know the facts and to make the choices for our kids beginning at a young age that sets them up for a life of good health and prosperity.
And if you’ve messed up along the way, please don’t give your responsibly over to those who do not have the best interests of your kids at heart. You and your children are not victims.
There is help and hope if you look in the right places and listen to those who want what’s best for you and your family.
Miles Mettler, PhD is an ambassador at Focus on the Family. He has his doctorate in Exercise & Wellness from Arizona State University and is the author of 52 Parenting Principles: How to Bring Out the Best in Your Kids