Response from: Liposuction    (05/18/07 6:42am)

Although it may not be suitable for kids - I believe it is more than adequate procedure for a teenager to participate in.

Response from: mark    (09/29/07 1:32pm)

Good point. What differentiates "childhood obesity" from regular obesity? It isn't really described what the dividing line is between adults and kids, in context of the topic at least. Is it completing puberty and being fully grown physically (maybe 15-20), is it being 18 , or when you no longer will grow anymore and start to age which can be as old as 25.

A 16 year old is much different than a 5 year old and older teenagers are much more like adults physically and psychologically than young children and deal with different issues than young children.

In any case it's pretty clear liposuction is not a good idea as a first-line treatment for obesity or a substitute for a healthy lifestyle. But this is true for anyone, not just children. As someone who had a friend as a teenager who dealt with these issues their entire life, I find it a little demeaning to assume young people interested in procedures like liposuction or stomach stapling wouldn't already have tried dieting and exercise, or that their physicians wouldn't explain to them what liposuction can or can't do.

Response from: linda    (05/10/08 4:45pm)

Interesting read! I think the best way to start promoting healthy eating in children is removing sweets and sodas from schools! Five to ten (depending on if the children are eating both breakfast and lunch) are eaten at school every week. Children will hopefully pick up healthier eating habits this way for the rest of their lives, also! You can find some additional interesting reading over at the Dietary Supplement Information Bureau page on childhood obesity.