September 17, 2021 — For some time, it’s been clear to mental health professionals that social media could be a problem for teens. Facebook, which owns Instagram, has long minimized the issue. But reporting this week from the Wall Street Journal tells suggests that Facebook knows from its own research that Instagram promotes self-stigma for teenage girls. Slides from […]
August 11, 2021 — Normal and healthy are tricky words. They provide a reference point but at the same time they have the potential to alienate people. Pressure to conform pushes against a desire for acceptance. The culture imposes ideas about sizes and shapes of bodies that are normal or healthy. From this pressure, weight bias emerges. It is […]
February 6, 2021 — For some time now, speculation about the impact of COVID-19 on obesity risk in children has been plentiful. It makes sense. COVID has turned the lives of kids and their parents upside down. On top of that, models suggest childhood obesity rates could go up markedly. However, these were projections and speculation. So we have […]
February 2, 2021 — Not long ago, bariatric surgery for adolescents with severe obesity was a rare consideration. Payers stubbornly resisted paying for it. Even for a 16-year old weighing more than 300 pounds, the very idea seemed “extreme” and off-putting. But now the American Academy of Pediatrics offers clear guidance. Surgery can be safe and effective for a […]
January 18, 2021 — The intersection of obesity and eating disorders in teens requires urgent attention, write Hiba Jebeile and colleagues in a new paper. But attention is lacking. Policymakers talk much about childhood obesity. Beyond the talk though, health policies do little to offer help for the youth and families affected. Likewise, screening and care for youth with […]
October 28, 2019 — The American Academy of Pediatrics is out with new guidance that says something a very few teens and their families already know. Surgery can be a safe and effective option for a young person with severe obesity. But health systems, ignorance, and bias make it hard for youth with obesity to get the care they […]
October 2, 2019 — It feels like adolescent obesity care is about ten years behind the recent progress in care for adults. Of course, we have the foundation of intensive behavioral support, though it’s hard to find effective programs for this age group. Very few options for pharmacotherapy are approved for teens. Finally, surgical treatment is becoming a bit […]
August 17, 2019 — Kids these days. Social media seems to consume them. Gen Z, also known as the iGen, has grown up with smartphones and these apps. So it often defines the generation. Cranky codgers might decry it, but thoughtful researchers look at the potential benefits and harms. An association with psychological distress crops up as a worry […]
August 23, 2018 — We find an odd bit of logic woven into a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics this month. Overweight and obesity is becoming common in teens, so it’s tough for them to think of it as abnormal. So fewer teens are worrying about losing weight. And thus, those adolescents are missing out on opportunities for obesity […]
