Effects of Obesity on Teen Health
Teen Health > Effects of Obesity on Teen Health
Teen health has become a major concern for American teens in the last decade. Less and less teens are being physically active. On the most part this is due to computers, television, and video gaming systems replacing exercise and sports. Without exercise, inactive teens tend to be more susceptible to becoming overweight. Getting your teenager involved in sports can greatly improve a teen's health and greatly reduce the risk of them becoming obese.
A large amount of obese teenagers come from low-income families or may have parents that have a low education level, which tends to lead to a higher risk of obesity than many other teenagers. These two factors have been shown to be linked to dangerous effects on teen health. Depression often makes teenagers less active and wanting to eat more.
Research has shown in the past that at least one third of all teenagers who suffer from obesity, also suffer from depression. Teen health studies performed in 1994 relating to obesity and depression showed that lower income families accounted for 32 percent of obesity in teenagers and 26 percent of depression. The second study involving parents with low education levels were also linked into effecting depression and obesity. Levels of depression were higher at 40 percent for low-income families and obesity was at 39 percent.
Teenagers tend to love fast food restaurants as well. That's why they are another leading cause of obesity in teens. Fast food can affect teen health by a number of factors. Eating the fat and salty French fries from your favorite fast food restaurant can lead to diabetes, obesity, as well as heart disease. These foods add calories to your diet and not much else.
Teen health is greatly affected by their daily diet as well. Fresh fruits and vegetables should always be included as a daily snack or part of a meal. The average calorie intake of a growing teenage girl is around 2,200 calories a day and for a growing teenage boy is about 2,800 calories a day.
If a teenager is following the food pyramid and eating nutritious foods daily with a variety of physical activities, obesity should never become an issue. Teen health should be a major concern for all parents that have a teenager. Parents should be watching what their child eats and in what quantity. Too much of anything is not good for you. Always talk to your teen about what foods are healthy and the benefits of eating them. Don't degrade them if they are overweight. Go online with your teen and look for teen health websites. Many websites can offer information on foods for teen health. Recipes websites are a great place to start looking for healthy food choices and fun for the entire family. Give your teenager the support they need and deserve to change their eating habits for a healthier life.