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Obesity In North America

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There's no getting away from this epidemic because that it what it is, an epidemic. And it one that people aren't taking too much notice of. Sure, there are all the requisite obesity prevention and weight loss programs doing the rounds, as well as all the requisite TV programs, but none of these have really helped to stem the rising tide of obesity in America.

More and more children are not only obese but are bordering on the morbidly obese, and really what does this say for their quality of life? What happens when they reach adulthood, will they even be able to reach adulthood given that they are morbidly obese? These are not cruel slurs against obese people, but plain facts.

Someone needs to get up and admit that obesity in America truly is a problem, and something that is not going to go away because we ignore it. None of these facts and figures, none of the obesity programs or weight loss programs or obesity surgeries, are going to do one iota of good until we truly put them into action.

People shouldn't only be made self aware of what obesity can do to them, in the long term as well as the short term, they should also receive a proper education as to what is right, as well as how they can go about correcting the problem. And most of all, they should receive emotional and mental support to help deal with the fact that they are obese.

Many obese people are aware of the fact that they are obese, and are also aware of what their obesity means to their quality of life. Most however, don't have the innate strength needed to get out of this trap, and where that strength isn't there, they also don't have a proper support structure to turn to, in their time of need.

Obesity in America is no laughing matter, and it is something that needs to be taken more seriously than it is now. Remember that not the best will in the world can overcome their problems without the proper help and support structure in place.

Obesity help in all of its forms needs to be made freely available to everyone, not only for those who have the monetary ability to get it. We need help to stop rising rates of obesity in America, and we need to do it soon, or face the consequences.

Obesity In North America

While surgeons are increasingly coming to the conclusion that many obese teenagers will ultimately require surgery, and that this is perhaps best performed sooner rather than later, there are nonetheless concerns about the safety of bariatric surgery in adolescents and about the longer-term effects of performing surgery at such an early age.

In 2003 a study known as LABS (Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery) was launched to look at the benefits and risks of bariatric surgery in extremely obese adults and, since its inception, some 4,000 patients have been enrolled in a series of both short-term and long-term studies. No results have yet been released as the study is still ongoing and it is expected to continue through 2007 and into 2008.

As an extension of this study a new study has now been launched, known as Teen-LABS, which will examine the benefits in risks of bariatric surgery in teenagers between the ages of 14 and 19. The study may also look at younger patients if they are considered to meet the strict criteria laid down for the study.

Teen-LABS will study adolescent patients being treated at hospitals in Birmingham, Cincinnati, Houston and Pittsburgh and is expected to enroll a total of about 200 patients over the next 5 years.

The aim of the study will be to assess the benefits and risks by comparing the data collected from the 200 teenagers in the study group with that of 200 adult bariatric patients who have suffered obesity since their teen years. In other words, it will compare the outcome of carrying out surgery in the teenage years to that of waiting until patients reach maturity before performing surgery.

The study will look at a very wide variety of data collected pre-operatively and in the two years following surgery including not simply weight but also such things as body fat, indications of diabetes, episodes of sleep apnea, depression, eating habits, nutrition, the quality of life and much more.

Although we will clearly have to wait some time before the results of the study are published and clinical decisions can be made based upon them, this is nevertheless a step in the right direction in tackling a growing problem.

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Both Krishan Bakhru & Donald Saunders are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Krishan Bakhru has sinced written about articles on various topics from Acid Reflux, Menopause and Fitness. Author's Sites: , and. Krishan Bakhru's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.

Donald Saunders has sinced written about articles on various topics from Health Insurance, Forex Training and Diabetes Treatment. GastricBypassFacts.info provides information on all aspects of gastric bypass surgery including the problem of. Donald Saunders's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.

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