Am I a Candidate for Weight Loss Surgery?
If you're a teenager and are considering weight loss surgery to treat obesity, the Surgical Weight Loss Program for Teens at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center provides these guidelines to help determine if you're a candidate for bariatric surgery:
Body Mass Index (BMI) | Health Problems Related to Obesity | Psychosocial Fitness
Body Mass Index (BMI)
The first step in determining whether or not you're a candidate for weight loss surgery is knowing your BMI (body mass index). To calculate your BMI, visit the American Society for Bariatric Surgery web site.
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Health Problems Related to Obesity
Other considerations for weight loss surgery are the severe, or sometimes life-altering health problems related to obesity.
Severe Health Problems
Other Health Problems
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol / triglycerides
- High insulin levels (pre-diabetic)
- Asthma
- Fatty liver disease
- Joint and back pain
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (heartburn)
- Depression / anxiety
- Unable to participate in daily activities
- Sleep disorders
- Irregular / absent menstrual cycles
- Urinary incontinence (weak bladder)
- Gallstones
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Psychosocial Fitness for an Operation
A successful outcome from bariatric surgery requires an informed, highly motivated teen with considerable family support. Therefore, everyone undergoes an interview by our psychologist. Teens must demonstrate commitment to program recommendations both before and after surgery.
Expectations about the operation must be realistic. Gastric bypass surgery does not:
- Reliably eliminate hunger
- Produce durable weight loss without considerable effort on the patient's part
You must be deeply committed to weight loss for the operation to be successful.
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