A 16 year old girl has had gastric bypass surgery carried out at a hospital in Sheffield. Jen Hogarth, from North Tyneside, weighed 23 stone as she was admitted for surgery, and had begun to develop diabetes, which is common in children who are overweight. The North East don’t offer gastric bypass operations to children under 18, although a group of doctors based at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary want to set up a children’s weight loss unit which would be able to offer gastric surgery. This wasn’t supported by the Primary Care Trust who believe that money spent on prevention would be a better option.
Jen gained the weight as a result of being bullied, as she would go home feeling depressed and eat even more. Children who are bullied because of their weight often find that they comfort eat which makes them gain even more weight, turning into a vicious circle. A fifth of 11 year olds in the region are classed as obese, which is much higher than the national average. People have accused the teenager of taking a quick fix option, although Peter Small, a weight loss surgeon in Sunderland has said that this surgery is a last resort and without making changes to her lifestyle, the operation will not be a success.
As one of the youngest ever people to receive the surgery, Jen has already lost five stone and is ecstatic with the results so far. As National Health Service funding is tighter than ever, it remains to be seen whether overweight children and their parents can be helped by advice for prevention of weight problems. As this case shows, children who are overweight very often suffer at the hands of bullies, causing low self esteem and resulting in a lack of confidence which can ruin their childhood.