Main Causes of Obesity for Teenagers in the United States - Research Paper Example

Main Causes of Obesity for Teenagers in the United s Obesity rates in adolescents in the United s areat an all-time high with the rates having been quadrupling in the last 30 years. There are different health related issues associated with obesity including high risks of cardiovascular diseases, psychological problems, increased risks of cancer, bone and joint problems among other issues. The main causes of obesity in adolescents are genetic, behavioral, environmental, physical, and medical reasons. The recommendations that could reverse the worrying trend of obesity in adolescents include augmenting physical activity in adolescents, healthy nutrition, and guidance by parents on healthy foods, reducing television watching and computer use, and government regulation of the advertising on healthy foods fit for consumption. Main Causes of Obesity for Teenagers in the United States Introduction This study aims at analyzing the main causes of obesity for teenagers in the United States and providing recommendations for reducing obesity. Teenage obesity is a problem that needs to be understood through a study of the main causes due to the impact it has on parents, teenagers, and society. The main reason why the problem is important to the reader is that teenage obesity is prevalent in the United States. There has been a doubling of childhood obesity and quadrupling of adolescent obesity within the past 30 years. Obese adolescents between ages 12 and 19 have increased from five percent in 1980 to 21 percent in 2012 (Kyle, 2008). Owing to these statistics, there is a need to understand the causes of obesity and provide recommendations through which it can be reduced to ensure a healthy population in the future of United States. Obesity in adolescents has immediate health effects including a 70% risk level of having cardiovascular disease, having bone and joint problems, social and psychological problems including stigmatization and poor self-esteem, and sleep apnea (Kyle, 2008). The long-term effects include getting health problems when they are adults including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, and cancer. It is due to these health problems and conditions that obesity increases its risk on adolescents that this study aims at understanding the causes of obesity in adolescents and giving specific recommendations for the eradication of the obesity problem. Methods The main data collection techniques utilized in the research project is document analysis where information was gathered from books and scholarly articles detailing the main causes of obesity in adolescents. The documents used in the analysis were received from a detailed search of CINAHL, MEDLINE, Academic Search, and Premier Databases to ensure authenticity of the research. The research conducted an in-depth analysis of the views of a varied number of authors on the issue and tackled the ways through which obesity has been augmented in adolescents. The choice of this method of data and information collection is due to the type of study and the period of study, that could not allow for the conducting of primary data collection using questionnaires or surveys. The other reason for the choice of secondary data collection is due to the availability of secondary data and the ability to have in-depth analysis of this data within a short time while maintaining clarity and objectivity in the study. Results Obesity results when there is an imbalance between the calories intake and those being utilized for growth, metabolism, development, and physical activities. The research found out that the main causes of obesity in adolescents fall into genetic, behavioral, medical, and environmental characteristics (Insel, 2013). Genetic factors have an influence on metabolism through changing body fat content, energy intake, and expenditure (Kopelman, Sep 28, 2009). The genetic factor that results in obesity in children is the hereditability of obesity from the parents. This is where children inherit genes from their parents making them susceptible to obesity. Obesity resulting from a hereditary condition cannot be prevented but the chances of the children being obese adolescents can be limited through physical activity and eating healthy foods that augment the use of excess fat and limit the chances of obesity. Behavioral factors that result in obesity includes adolescents eating many calories that are not utilized in form of sugar and energy rich foods (Karnik & Kanekar, January 01, 2012). Lack of physical activity that uses up excess energy is a contributing factor to obesity where a large number of children lack enough time to participate in physical activities (Newsome & Besh, 2006). Sedentary lifestyle like children spending a lot of time watching television, on computer, and playing video games is another factor that contributes to lack of physical activity leading to obesity. Television advertisements promoting energy rich foods influence unhealthy choices by children and heavy snacking when watching television results in obesity (Insel, 2013). The environmental factors that result in obesity include parents who do not influence a healthy lifestyle leading to children consuming sugar rich foods and not promoting physical activity ion their children, leading to obesity (Kopelman, Sep 28, 2009). Schools that do not promote physical activity and healthy food intake by the children also fork the other environmental cause of obesity in adolescents. Lack of facilities like bike paths, sidewalks, and safe parks for physical activity in the community is the other cause of obesity in children. Further, in a community where accessibility and affordability of healthy foods is a problem, it results in obesity owing to the nutrition effects on the children. Acceptance of obesity among social circles is the other cause of obesity where close friends and associates of obese people have a high likelihood 57 % of becoming obese (Karnik & Kanekar, January 01, 2012). Medical factors can also result in obesity in children including hormone disorders, certain medications like steroids that augment food intake, and low thyroid function. Discussion The results depict the main causes of obesity in adolescents as genetic, environmental, medical, behavioral, and physical causes. Most of the causes are preventable through a change of lifestyle especially during the early life of the child except for genetic causes that result from gene transfer from the parent to the child. Most of the studies researched on in this study have stated the above causes as the reason for the high obesity levels in the United States. The causes generated in the study are characterized into five groups that differently affect the lives of the adolescents. It is with the aim of changing the influence to which these facets affect the live of the students that the recommendations of the study will be made to aid in the achievement of a reduced obesity rate in the United States. Environmental, medical, behavioral, and physical causes of obesity can be altered or controlled by an association of activities between parents, adolescents, medical practitioners, and school administrators to limit obesity in adolescents. These measures are recommended in the study including what these stakeholders are to do for healthier adolescents in the United States. The results mean that obesity in adolescents is mainly caused by factors within control of the community, the adolescent, parents, schools, and the community. This requires a change in the way of doing things and a keen planning by different stakeholders to ensure that the high rate at which obesity is occurring in adolescents is reversed. The other meaning is that there is a requirement for the generation of regulation that governs the type of advertisement on healthy foods in the media that is consumed by both young children and adolescents. The result also point that if the community, parents, teachers, and the United States government in terms of advertisement regulation do not come together to aid in the fight against obesity, the trend of obese adolescents will continue rising. This is because of the need for an integration of the efforts of all these stakeholders if the fight against obesity in adolescents is to won. Conclusion In conclusion, the main causes of obesity in adolescents include genetics where genes that cause obesity are inherited, behavioral including eating, watching, and physical activity habits. The other causes are environmental factors like the lack of safe areas for physical activity in the community, lack of access to nutritious food, no parental guidance on healthy foods, and schooling programs that promote obese lifestyles. Recommendations This study recommends that parents try their best in guiding adolescents on proper nutrition and healthy food choices. This will reduce the chances of adolescents making choices to eat unhealthy food choices in food outlets. The provision of healthy foods is another recommendation for parents to ensure they do in an effort to salvage the adolescents from getting obese on their watch. The other recommendation is for schools and parents to institute patterns that aid in the improvement of physical education and physical practice daily to allow for the use of excess calorie intake that may have been consumed by the adolescents to avoid extra calories in their bodies that result in obesity (Newsome & Besh, 2006). The exercise pattern that is recommended in this study is for the adolescents to exercise for at least 30 minutes in a day five times or more in a week. Development of good eating habits by the adolescents is the other recommendation that will aid in reducing obesity among adolescents. Decreasing the intake of fast foods by adolescents and the imposition of this by the parents is the other recommendation as fast foods are the main source of excess calories that result in obesity. Other recommendations include decreased television watching and computer use by adolescents allowing the adolescents to have enough time to exercise and reduce the chances of eating many chunk foods while watching television (Akhtar-Danesh et al., 2 September 2005). This will also aid in the reduction of computer games and replacing it with active games like soccer, football, athletics, and volleyball. Another recommendation is for the government to put forth a policy that guides the advertisements and marketing accessed by adolescents. The policy should have guidance on the advertisement of healthy foods mainly energy supplements and drinks to ensure they are not persuaded to use unhealthy foods. The ingredients in these products should be listed to ensure the users of these products are aware of the healthiness of the foods they consume to avoid adolescents gaining excess fat that result in obesity. Another recommendation is for adolescents to be determined to embrace physically activity and sports participation for as having fun (Boy Scouts of America, Mar 13 2006). This coupled with a nutrition belief that one does not have to be bulky to be fit and having a healthy breakfast, dinner, and supper will reverse the obesity rates. Provision of information on healthy nutrition at both family and individual level will also aid in ensuring the obesity rates in adolescents are reduced. References Akhtar-Danesh, N., Dehghan, M. & Merchant, A. (2 September 2005). Childhood obesity, prevalence, and prevention. Nutrition Journal, 4, 24. Boy Scouts of America. (Mar 13 2006). Scouting. Irving, Tex., etc: Boy Scouts of America. Insel, P. M., Turner, R. E., Ross, D., & American Dietetic Association. (2013). Discovering nutrition. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Karnik, S., & Kanekar, A. (January 01, 2012). Childhood obesity: a global public health crisis. International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 3, 1, 1-7. Kopelman, P., Caterson, I. & Dietz, W. (Sep 28, 2009). Clinical obesity in adults and children. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Kyle, T. (2008). Essentials of pediatric nursing. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Newsome, D. A., & Besh, J. (2006). The New Orleans program: Eat, exercise, and enjoy life. Gretna, La: Pelican Pub. Co. Read More