Obesity in Teenagers Essay Paper.
Food and nutrition are an essential component for the growth and development process of
the average human being. The meals that people consume directly impacts on their body weight,
their state of health as well as their overall welfare. The rising trend in poor eating habits among
the young population has been faulted for the numerous cases of overweight problems with
obesity being the most common. Teenagers and adolescent seem to be the most affected and this
is an indication that something in their diets is amiss. Obesity in Teenagers Essay Paper. There are various repercussions that come with obesity both in terms of physical health and even emotional well-being. This paper is a brief
essay that discuses obesity in teenagers and provides its connection to the study of physical
activity.
Task for the Essay
Discuss and analyze the topic of choice in relation and relevance to the study of physical
activity and adolescents.
Topic chosen for the Essay
Obesity in teenagers
Body of the Essay
The alarming rate at which obesity has risen within the modern society has created huge
concern among health experts and nutritionists alike. This matter even becomes more grievous
taking into consideration that the teenage and adolescent population are the people at the highest
risk (Bellisle and Drewnowski, 2007). Statistics indicate that at least one in every five teens is
actually obese with an equal number of them being overweight as well. The distressing figures of
the number of teens that are actually obese stems from a myriad of reasons. To begin with, the sedentary lifestyle that most of them lead is faulted for causing obesity and complications in
weight (Slavin, 2012). Further, the majority of teenagers tend to consume food that is high in fats
and calories while it is much less in other body building elements. Obesity in Teenagers Essay Paper.
Consequently, their health becomes jeopardized since they continue to feed themselves
with diets that only increase their body fat. At the same time, technology is another factor that
can be blamed for the rising statistics in teenagers who are actually obese (Vermunt et al, 2014).
The mass media has brainwashed most of them into believing that computer and television
games are much better and interesting as opposed to physical activity. This behavior is further
worsened by the fact that the trend of advertising also focuses its efforts a lot on the promotion of
foods that are laced with fats. For instance, it is common for most broadcasting stations to fit in
commercials that illustrate the benefits of eating burgers, fries or even drinking carbonated
drinks (Kennedy and Hills, 2009). Obesity in Teenagers Essay Paper.
ORDER A CUSTOM-WRITTEN, PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE
This trend tends to infiltrate the brains of teenagers such that they begin to think that
these meals are healthier as opposed to eating balanced diets. Obesity in teenagers has also been
shown to result from the combination of food consumption while watching television. The
majority of teens that eat their meals while playing computer games or watching a movie tend to
develop obesity much faster than those that do not (Mozisek, 2007). Further, physical activity
tends to be a forgotten issue since most people do not bother to exercise or keep fit. What’s
more, most teenagers opt to embrace the sedentary mode of living where they simply sit
passively as they become entertained or carry own with their various chores (Mozisek, 2007).
Research indicates that there is a very small number of teens that engage in exercising
routines such as jogging, walking or even playing with their mates. Obesity in Teenagers Essay Paper. In fact, it is an almost rare phenomenon to observe a child skipping rope on the street or even adolescents engaging in a jogging game. Instead, they prefer sitting round their computers all day chatting and browsing on
social media while others will spend an entire day watching their favorite movie series (Onge
and Heymsfield, 2013). It is this sedentary and passive lifestyle that is slowly leading teenagers
to an early grave via the rising occurrence of obesity.
A comparison between teenagers that spend more time watching television versus those
that do not clearly demonstrates a clear cut difference. The ones that are less active tend to watch
their programs or connect with their laptops do so while taking a snack or a bite of their favorite
pizza (Bleich et al, 2014). This behavior is also worsened by the parents or guardians that simply
watch their children sit and eat instead of encouraging them to go outside and play with their
fellow mates. The lack of physical activity is what is slowly leading to teenagers becoming obese
since they are not putting their bodies to exercise. Further, it places them at risk of developing
health complications such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and even diabetes (Bleich et
al, 2014). Obesity in Teenagers Essay Paper.
The learning environments are also to blame for this worrying trend since they do not
capitalize on promoting healthy living. For instance, the school curriculum rarely allocates time
for physical activities such as sports or athletics. Instead, they divert this time to passive
activities such as computer training or even talent searches (Onge and Heymsfield, 2013). In as
much as these two are important, exercising is equally essential as it helps the teenagers to
develop bodies that are fit and healthy. The inclusion of interactive games such as yoga, aerobics
and even sports is a vital process that can enable the teens to control their weight while at the
same time assist them with understanding the importance of being healthy. In fact, the instructors
of these games within the school environment should train the adolescents on how to perform
them even when they are on their own (Bleich et al, 2014). Obesity in Teenagers Essay Paper.
Through this approach, the teens can find themselves exercising after school for a chosen
period of time. Obesity in teenagers can also be resolved by introducing nutrition classes where
people can be taught on the contents of the foods that they eat. They can get to learn that meals
such as burgers, pizzas, chips and even the milkshakes may not be as healthy as they may be
made to look in commercials. In the long run, they can get to know that there are other options in
meals that have an equally good taste and their nutritive value is much better (Onge and
Heymsfield, 2013). This change can only happen through combined efforts from the teenagers
themselves who should change their feeding habits and choice of meals while the parents and
teachers should encourage them to engage in physical activities on a more frequent basis. Obesity in Teenagers Essay Paper.
ORDER A CUSTOM-WRITTEN, PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE
Conclusion
The teenage phase of growth is one of the most essential in the life of any individual
since it is characterized by both psychological and physical changes within the body. These
radical changes are slowly being threatened by the increasing cases of obesity. The latter is a
nutritional issue that has made most teens to gain more weight than they actually should. The
sedentary lifestyle that is led by most of them is largely to blame coupled with the fact that most
teens rarely engage in physical activity. Obesity in Teenagers Essay Paper. Hence, they end up gaining a lot of weight since the excess fats are not even burnt down through exercise or participation in games. Our Experienced Academic Writers Will Handle All Your Writing Needs Including The The fact that
obesity can lead to serious chronic diseases such hypertension, cardiovascular complications and
diabetes should spell a red card that should get the society involved in trying to curb these
nutritional and dietary problem that is threatening the teenage race. Obesity in Teenagers Essay Paper.
References
Bellisle, F., & Drewnowski, A. (2007). Energy intake and the control of body weight. European
Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, 61(6), 691-700. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.160264
Onge, M., & Heymsfield, S. B. (2013). Usefulness of Physical activity for Body Weight
Control. Nutrition Reviews, 61(6), 219. Our Experienced Academic Writers Will Handle All Your Writing Needs Including The
Bleich, S. N., Wolfson, J. A., Vine, S., & Wang, Y. C. (2014). Diet-Beverage Consumption and
Caloric Intake Among US Adults, Overall and by Body Weight. American Journal Of
Public Health, 104(3), e72-e78. Obesity in Teenagers Essay Paper.
Slavin, J. (2012). Beverages and body weight: challenges in the evidence-based review process
of the Carbohydrate Subcommittee from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory
Committee. Nutrition Reviews, 70S111-S120. doi:10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00537.x
Vermunt, S. F., Pasman, W. J., Schaafsma, G., & Kardinaal, A. M. (2014). Effects of fat and
calorie intake on body weight: a review. Obesity Reviews, 4(2), 91-99. doi:10.1046/j.1467-
789X.2003.00102.x Our Experienced Academic Writers Will Handle All Your Writing Needs Including The
Kennedy, E., & Hills, L. (2009). Sport, Media and Society. Oxford: Berg Publishers. James
Thornton. Leisure.
Mozisek, K. D. (2007). Sport, Culture and Society: An Introduction. Sociology of Sport
Journal, 24(3), 350-352. Obesity in Teenagers Essay Paper.
