Overweight Teens

There is a lot of reporting in the news today about childhood obesity and overweight teens. According to the Center for Disease Control, 16.3% of children aged 2 – 19 years are overweight or obese. These statistics have risen from approximately 5% in the 1970’s.

Risk Factors of Overweight Teens

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These teens that are overweight are at risk for various diseases now and in the future if the issue isn’t resolved. In addition to a potential shorter lifespan, there is a psychological impact that has to be addressed.

Risk Factors

Hypertension
Osteoarthritis
Dyslipidemia – high triglycerides or cholesterol levels
Type II diabetes
Cancer
Sleep apnea
Heart disease
Respiratory problems

Teasing and being the target of jokes can cause long-term psychological problems resulting in low self-esteem and depression.

Teens that are overweight have an 80% chance of becoming obese adults, according to one study.

How Do We Define Overweight Teens?

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The Body Mass Index (BMI) is used as a screening tool to identify potential weight problems. The BMI for teens is more defined than for adults. It takes into account sex and age in addition to the child’s height and weight. It is often referred to as BMI-for-age.

Two additional predictors for overweight and obese children are:

Waist circumference
Risk factors mentioned above

What Contributes to Obesity?

There are many factors that contribute to this epidemic. Lifestyle, environmental and genetics all contribute to overweight and obesity.

Lifestyle Factors include: Energy Imbalance – consuming more calories than you are expending causes the excess calories to be stored as fat.

Poor Nutrition – it’s not only how much you eat, but what you eat. Consuming high-carbohydrate sugary or salty snacks provides little nutritional value. Eating these foods causes a spike in your insulin production. Insulin takes the sugar in the blood and deposits them in your cells causing weight gain.

Inactivity – Children and teens require at least 60 minutes of activity per day. This activity can be walking, running or playing a sport. These activities increase your overweight teen’s metabolism resulting in the burning of extra calories.

Environmental Factors

These teens make decisions based on their environmental and community norms. They mimic what they see others doing and believe that is how life is to be lived.

Watching TV and Snacking – if you spend your waking hours at home sitting in front of the TV and munching some goodies, your child will pick up on this and copy you. If you don’t place importance on nutrition, your child may not as well.

No Physical Education Programs – if your child’s school does not have a physical education program, this may signify to them that fitness is not important. Children need to be taught at an early age that fitness and healthy eating are important.

Genetics

Genes play a role in contributing to obesity and overweight teens, however this can be managed through nutrition and fitness. If genes are an issue then the child will have to concentrate and work harder to maintain a healthy weight.

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