Teen Obesity: An
Increasingly Serious Problem in
With frequent
social engagements, fast food establishments on every block, the Internet, TV, a
lack of a healthy awareness and a host of distracting activities, it’s no
wonder the youth of this country is battling obesity. As much as we would like
to blame the unhealthy dietary cuisine that today’s teens prefer, national data
from various government agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, researchers at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill
compared tends in calorie intake, obesity and physical activity for students
from 12-19 years of age over a 20 year period[1].
It seems that the study shows that the caloric intake of the individuals has
not deviated much at all but physical activity has dropped significantly. The
statistics show that only 29% of young people today participate in at least 30
minutes of exercise compared to 42% back in 1980![2]
These
figures are staggering and with the lack of enthusiasm from today’s teens and
the sedentary adult population, this number will only become increasingly more
devastating. This ought to raise many concerns for the parents of these teens
(and the teens themselves) which will hopefully have them take stock in the
fact that their health needs to be addressed. This revolves around daily
physical activity along with an attention to proper nutritional habits.
Here are
some things to consider when someone you love is obese.
According
to the National Institutes of Health, 280,000 adult deaths each year in the
If that
is not tangible enough for someone who is obese to be proactive then how about
considering the current emotional status of most obese teens. They are
generally less outgoing, feel intimidated or “less accepted” by their peers,
generally their overall confidence is lower and can suffer from emotional
diseases such as depression, which in turn can causing them to eat even more.
It’s time
for us to make an effort to stop the vicious cycle of teen (and adult) obesity
and encourage the future of our nation to take stock in themselves and their
health. Those of you who are the parents of these children must lead by
example, encourage your children (obese or not) to partake in daily physical
activity, eat a healthy diet and make a pledge to each other to work together
to succeed at your goal.
Make the
effort to keep
Fred
Fornicola
www.premierepersonalfitness.com