While bariatric surgery is well known as the only effective way for people who are morbidly obese to lose and maintain weight loss, weight loss surgery in teens with morbid obesity is still underused. Severe obesity affects 4.4 million children and adolescents in the U.S., yet less than 2000 weight loss surgeries are done in adolescents each year, bariatric surgery being an effective and safe intervention for appropriate teens. That’s less than 1 percent of those who could benefit from this life-improving treatment.