Adolescent Weight Loss Program
Childhood obesity is a massive concern with over 20% of children between the ages of 2 to 20 years of age being obese or overweight. These statistics have significant health consequences making obesity the most common chronic disease in American children. According to the 2016 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey, 27.9 percent of Florida middle school and 28.4 percent of high school students reported weights in the overweight or obese range.
Over the past 30 years, childhood obesity has more than tripled. The effects of obesity on today’s adolescents have immediate and long-term health consequences.
These conditions have skyrocketed: diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, social psychological issues such as poor self-esteem, depression, anxiety, ADHD.
Obesity in adolescents dramatically reduces life expectancy.
While we have urged Congress to pass new childhood nutrition legislation to remove junk food from schools, improve the nutritional standards and quality of school meals, and open access to anti-obesity programs for children, financial profits seem to keep blocking effective anti-obesity measures in our society.
So we decided to tackle this problem head-on one child at a time with our LEAN TEENS PROGRAM.
Our LEAN TEENS PROGRAM begins with a scientifically based conservative program that may lead to the placement of weight loss balloons in the stomach or even bariatric surgery. This will help the adolescent lose weight, keep it off, and restore their health. The decision to have bariatric surgery as a weight loss method for adolescents is a significant one for physicians and families. Patients and their families undergo a treatment preparation phase before surgery. This is vital to the success of the surgical process and continues as a lifestyle change following the surgery. At JSAPA, the teen and family members will work with Dr. Cywes, a Board Certified Pediatric Surgeon, as well as our licensed mental health counselor, dietitian and exercise specialist to ensure maximum weight loss success. Coping with teenage obesity is a family matter, and it requires a family solution.
Leading The Nation In Adolescent Weight Loss Surgery
Our first adolescent bariatric surgery procedures started in 2005, and since then we have performed over 750 adolescent weight loss surgeries in the nation (the largest in the country), with the youngest being 12 years old.
What Our Program Offers
We may use weight loss balloons that are placed in the stomach for several months to help the teen lose weight as they work on behavioral changes. These intragastric balloons have revolutionized our ability to kick-start our weight loss program, and they are particularly valuable in adolescents since they are removed without surgery and are not permanent. Our Balloon program is performed as part of a trial in our adolescent population and is done in our office and surgicenter.
We also offer Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy as well as LapBands for more permanent solutions. We do NOT believe that the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass operation should be performed in adolescents because of the high risk of complications and long-term malnutrition.
Surgeries may be performed on site in our surgicenter or in our hospital.
To learn more about our Lean Teen adolescent program, contact us for a consultation.
Note: Currently, many insurance companies are not covering bariatric surgery in patients under 18 years of age.
Learn more about Weight Loss Surgery at JSAPA
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SUCCESS STORIES
From Dr. Robert Cywes's Blog
Weight Loss Testimonials and Tips
Jackie: LAP-BAND Success
I've lost 115 lbs.- This was the best decision of my life - I'm no longer a med-dependent diabetic. I can say I'm healthy and very happy - I am able to do things I've never been able to do!
Read More Sue: LAP-BAND Success
For as long as I can remember, I have been on a diet. Cabbage soup, cookies, starvation - nothing ever seemed enough or made me want to stay on it long term. Just over a year ago, I discovered the.
Read More Gastric Band Surgery for Obese Children
Obesity tends to run in families. Oftentimes, children of overweight or obese parents will find themselves suffering from the same weight problems as their parents did before them.
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