Web Resources for Adolescent Obesity

Introduction

Childhood and adolescent obesity is an epidemic in the United States. Weight loss surgery in adolescents remains relatively rare but is on the rise. Adolescents present a unique challenge to the bariatric surgery team because educational resources designed for adults do not always meet the needs of the adolescent weight-loss surgery candidate. For both adolescents and adults, long-term success requires understanding and incorporating a new set of health behaviors, including diet and exercise monitoring. In addition, adolescents must move from parental supervision of these activities to a successful self-care model.

Web-based tools are often utilized to augment self-management activities. Adolescents are comfortable with the use of the Internet and more than 90% of teens have Internet access. ¹ Adolescents often find it difficult to access traditional healthcare services and find the use of the Internet fast, easy, and confidential. One study that examined the willingness of adolescents with chronic health conditions to use Internet health resource sites found that the important characteristics for teens were ease of use, frequency of information updates, medical need, and interaction with other teens. ²

A search for available web resources for adolescents related to bariatric surgery found information was limited to the specific websites of centers offering bariatric surgery for adolescents. Some of these websites include patient testimonies, data about surgical outcomes, and links to program Facebook pages.

Obesity and weight loss specific websites that may be helpful for adolescents and families include:

Parent Web-Based Resources

Adolescent and Parent Web-Based Resources