Teenage obesity due to a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet is going to lead to a multitude of serious health issues for many young people as they become adults.
Depending on which stats you look at, estimates of the number of American teens that are obese are anywhere between 14% and 17%. This is triple the amount of 20 years ago, and the numbers do not seem to be dropping at present.
One of the keys to helping young people avoid the combination of a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet, which are the two main factors contributing to both childhood and teenage obesity, lies with the role that parents can play in shaping their children’s attitude to health and fitness.
Considering the serious, but preventable illnesses, that young people are at risk of suffering from because of a lack of physical activity and poor eating habits, only an irresponsible parent would take this matter lightly and give no thought to how their child’s future health and happiness will be affected by her or his exercise and diet habits when they are young.
The illnesses that a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet put obese teens at risk of suffering the effects of include high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 Diabetes, osteoarthritis and many more.
It’s no secret that two of the main causes of teenage obesity are the combination of a sedentary lifestyle and a poor diet. Many teens spend a large proportion of their spare time engaged in sedentary activities, such as watching television and movies, playing computer and Internet games, using cell phones and listening to music on their iPods, etc.
Teenagers and children are overwhelmed with ads for the latest junk foods and sugar filled drinks. Next time you are out on a week or weekend evening, take a drive by the local convenience store or fast food joint. You may find that it is largely populated with young people hanging out and filling their bodies with really lousy food and beverages. When these kinds of eating habits are combined with a sedentary lifestyle, teenagers end up putting on weight and getting into a position where they may face really serious health problems as adults.
However, physical illness is not the only thing that a lack of physical activity, poor diet and the resulting obesity cause. There are very real emotional and psychological problems that many teenagers face because of the social stigma that is associated with being fat. Because they are obese, many teenagers are unable to participate in the same activities as their classmates. They may also be made fun of for being overweight. The result is that many teens end up at home, alone and without any friends. They spend their time watching TV or movies and snacking. The result is more weight gain, more isolation, and more feelings of being alone, disliked and, in the end, depression. It is like being caught in a powerful vortex that just sucks the individual in until it becomes extremely hard, maybe even impossible to get out of on one’s own.
So, parents have a big load to bear as it pertains to positively influencing a child’s or a teenager’s attitude to their own level of physical activity and their eating habits. If we remember that obese teenagers are very likely to become obese adults, then we can see why it is important now to start molding our children’s attitudes in this regard.
There is no time to waste in this matter. Parents need to act now to help their children or teenagers avoid a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet. Doing so will help to ensure that your child has a bright, healthy and active future as an adult!
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