A report has found Victorian hospitals are treating hundreds of obese children each year, with young people needing help for obesity-related illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

RMIT University obesity expert, Associate Professor Jeff Walkley, said while services treating childhood obesity were seriously stretched, overweight teenagers and their families had even fewer avenues for help.

“There are extremely limited services for adolescents and the services that are available are under enormous resource demand,” Associate Professor Walkley said.

“Teenagers have different issues to children when it comes to managing their weight.

“Medical interventions such as lapband surgery do not address the behavioural issues that have led to the weight gain in the first place.

“Our research shows effective approaches are adolescent-focused and family-supported, looking at long-term behavioural change.

“Current services available for overweight teenagers just don’t have the resources to follow this kind of model, though it’s been proven that it works.”

Associate Professor Jeff Walkley is one of the key researchers behind RMIT’s highly successful Choose Health program, which uses a groundbreaking approach to weight loss by helping overweight and obese adolescents change their lifestyle and eating habits through cognitive behavioural therapy.

Having helped more than 150 teenagers lose weight and keep it off, the program is currently being adapted to adults.