The teenage years are known for not being easy on anyone. A serious weight problem such as morbid obesity presents a teen with more stress, not to mention the implications for the teen's future health. According to the Obesity Action Coalition, 93 million Americans are obese, which makes treating obesity in the teen years more important than ever.
Definition
According to the University of Pennsylvania Health System, a person with a body mass index or BMI over 40 and is 100 or more pounds overweight is morbidly obese. A teen who has a BMI over 35 and has a comorbid condition like diabetes is also considered morbidly obese. BMI takes the teen's age, sex, height and weight into consideration.
Causes
Morbid obesity in teens doesn't have one root cause. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry notes that genetics, biology, cultural influences and personal behaviors contribute to morbid obesity. If a teen eats many more calories than he expends, he will gain weight. And if a parent is obese, the teen has a 50 percent chance of being obese as well.
Effects
Being morbidly obese puts teens at risk for physical and emotional consequences. Teens who are significantly overweight have a higher risk of heart disease, problems sleeping, trouble breathing, high blood pressure and a greater risk for diabetes. Other physical effects can include strokes, high cholesterol, and a higher risk for endometrial, breast, or colon cancer, as well as gallbladder disease. Emotional effects of teens who are morbidly obese include lower self-esteem, depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder.
Treatments
Treatment for morbid obesity in teens will be tailored to the individual: for example, doctors will consider how much she weighs and whether she presents with any other medical concerns. Treatment plans include behavior modification, such as decreasing calorie intake and increasing physical activity. Morbidly obese teens often also take part in a physician-supervised weight loss program with nutritional education. Research from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital from 2007 and 2009 research from the New York Presbyterian Hospital note that bariatric surgery can treat morbidly obese teens after other treatments have been tried and failed. According to this research, teens may even have better postoperative outcomes than adults.
Considerations
Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents in the U.S. are obese and more than 300,000 people die of obesity and weight-related problems every year. Getting teens into a treatment program as early as possible can help them live a healthier lifestyle that will carry through to their adult years.
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