Lap band surgery popularity plummets in United States

NEW YORK (WABC) -- One of the most popular weight loss surgery options in the United States has seen it's popularity plummet over the last five years.

The laparoscopic gastric band procedure accounted for 35-percent of weight loss surgeries in the country in 2011 and dipped to less than 6-percent by 2015.

Long-term studies have shown that lap band patients often lose less weight compared to other surgery methods.

The studies also found that these patients often require additional operations and may develop eating disorders.