Surgery and Drugs is NOT the Way to Fight Child Obesity

The word BUT can really change a sentence. The American Academy of Pediatrics just reported in their Executive Summary on dealing with the huge surge in childhood OBESITY.

Obesity is one of the most common pediatric chronic “diseases” in the U.S. According to the CDC, 1 in 5 U.S. children and teens are considered obese. I put disease in quotes because I have a tough time calling something you GIVE TO YOURSELF as a disease. 42.9% of adults are obese too.


The AAP report said: “Obesity has long been stigmatized as a reversible consequence of personal choices BUT has, in reality, complex genetic, physiologic, socioeconomic, and environmental contributors.”

Did you catch it? The BUT changes everything. Kind of like saying to someone, “I love you BUT….”

The guidelines, that were amended for the first time in 15 years, focus on TREATMENT with DRUGS and SURGERIES rather than prevention (eating less, cut out SODA/sugardrinks and fast foods and exercise more) and don’t address potential adverse effects of medications and surgeries.

The guidelines also recommend that obese children as young as 8 be offered weight-loss medications alongside health behavior and lifestyle treatments and that doctors refer severely obese children 13 and older to SURGEONS to evaluate whether they would be good candidates for metabolic and bariatric surgery.


The old adage is – follow the money holds true. There is not much money in improving the terrible quality of school lunches, making kids take PE EVERY semester they are in school through HS, teaching the kids AND PARENTS about the dangers of soda, sugar, junk food and fast food.

According to Fierce Pharma, analysts at Morgan Stanley Research told clients, “Drugmakers like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are poised to unlock a global obesity market that could be worth more than $50 billion by the end of the decade.”

How about getting back to personal responsibility? We have a pill and quick fix world. If you are a parent and your kids are obese, chances are they will become obese adults. That is 100% on you as a parent. The first step to change is to acknowledge that and make changes now. If you need help, get it.

We as a society can’t say, “We should make changes BUT there are too many factors out or our control. The numbers are only getting worse for adults and kids. The time is now and the steps are obvious. Giving up and relying on drugs and surgery is abject failure.

That is one reason we created EmployeeWellnessVideos.com – to help companies have the material to educate their employees to lead a healthier lifestyle. Many people simply do not know what they do not know! We have cost effective packages for any company!