Teen Obesity
Essay Preview: Teen Obesity
Report this essay
Teen Obesity Prevention Outline
Teen Obesity
Obesity is defined as an accumulation of excessive fat storage in the body. If a person is 20% heavier than their ideal body weight they are considered obese.
Typically a teen is considered obese when his or her BMI exceeds 30.
approximately 30.4% of teens are overweight
15.5% of teens are considered obese
One half of all teens are at risk of getting weight related health problems
Main causes of teen obesity
Increased intake of empty calories found in “junk” food
Drinking soda and energy drinks
Insufficient physical activity
Increased sedentary activities such as television, videogames etc
Genetic reasons
Serious health problem caused by obesity
Heart disease and related problems such as high blood pressure and cholesterol
Heart disease is the leading of death in the U.S
Obesity is a major contributor
Type 2 diabetes
Diabetes is incurable
Type 2 diabetes is developed in teen years or later
Asthma
Sleep problems, including sleep apnea
Orthopedic (bone) problems due to strain placed on joints and bones from supporting access weight
Ovary problems
Polycystic ovary syndrome
Economic consequences
Obesity is a risk factor to chronic disease
Biggest killers in the world
Medical costs
Direct cost-preventive, diagnostic, treatment
Indirect cost -Morbity costs income lost from decrease productivity
Unique characteristics of the population that make it vulnerable
Body is going thru changes
Physical changes-body acquiring some amounts of fat as a part of puberty
New responsibilities and obligations
Driving
Working
Selecting colleges
Successful interventions or programs that address your issue and population
Weight loss programs that change behavior over extended period of time
School cooking programs that focuses on portion sizes, healthy choices, parent and child involvement.
Summer weight loss camps that run for 4-8 weeks and typically change diet , portion size and increase physical activity
Educational & clinical programs that teach new behaviors and habits over a period of time
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute- We Can Program (Ways to Enhance Childrens Activity and Nutrition)
FitnessGram- developed by the Cooper Institute to enable physical educators to facilitate communicating fitness testing results to students and to parents. Although the program is designed to assess the fitness levels of children in grades K-12, the program is also appropriate for use with young adults up to age 3.
Lessons learned and Implications for programming? What factors must be taken into account for an intervention to be successful?
Each program must be individualized in order for it to be successful
Reevaluate programs with consumers and ask for input or new ideas
Programs must be culturally sensitive
Environmental factors : safe neighborhoods, how much time is spent watching television, school nutrition programs.Suggested interventions, community enhancements or system changes to address the issue
Public education campaigns