Bariatric medicine deals with the causes, prevention and treatment of obesity. A bariatric medicine physician, or bariatrician, may treat patients with diet and nutrition, exercise, behavior modification or medication. The bariatrician may also coordinate patient care with a bariatric surgeon, who may perform surgery. Bariatric or gastric bypass surgery, also known as roux-en-Y gastric bypass, creates a small pouch of the stomach that bypasses part of the intestine. When the size of the stomach is reduced by surgery, it allows less food to be ingested, resulting in weight loss.

Obesity is damaging to one’s health: some of the negative effects of obesity are heart disease, diabetes, some forms of cancer, hypertension, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, arthritis; and obesity has been known to shorten one’s lifespan.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Kansas has 1 practicing bariatric doctor in Dodge City.

Kansas was admitted to the United States in 1861. Topeka is its capital city, and the population of Kansas is 2,744,687. Topeka offers sports and recreation, arts and cultural entertainment, and casinos to residents and visitors. Lucas claims to be the Folk Art center of the United States. Visit the Pony Express National Historic Trail, tour historic Fort Leavenworth, or see the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchinson. Kansas is also home to the John Brown Museum, which was a stop on the Underground Railroad in the mid-1800s.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Kansas has a population of 2,744,687. Of this population, 652,270 are under the age of 18 and 354,995 are at or above the age of 65.