?Large numbers of U.S. teenagers are overweight and about 15% are already obese. Numbers like that mean one half of all teens are at risk for health problems due to their weight.
One of the fastest growing problems facing teenagers today' is the rate of teen obesity. According to numbers from the American Obesity Association, about 30.4 percent of U.S. teenagers are currently overweight, and 15.5 percent of them are already obese. The numbers mean that nearly one half of all teens are now at risk for developing health problems due to their weight. Although weight gain during the teen years can be normal, when a teen weighs 20% more than their ideal body weight and their BMI exceeds 30, they are considered as obese.
Obviously there are multiple causes behind the rise in teen obesity, but most experts point to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, along with poor nutrition choices as the main contributing factors to the growing number of teens considered overweight or obese today. Although genetics may play a small part, some the specific factors contributing to teens' unhealthy weight gain include an increased intake of junk food and sugary soda drinks. A lack of real physical activity along with the multiple temptations of indoor sedentary activities including television, video games and computer use, don’t help much either.
Both teenaged boys and girls are affected by obesity, but the statistics have shown that the boys are more likely to develop the condition. Based on American teenagers ages 12 to 19, recent studies show that while 21% of teenage boys are suffering with teen obesity, just 18% of the girls have the same problem. The numbers look even worse when one considers that just five years ago the numbers were much less dramatic, and only 16.3% of the boys and 9.6% of the girls were obese. The numbers combine to show that 17% of all adolescents suffer from teen obesity today, the equivalent of about 12.5 million individual teenagers.
The detrimental effects of obesity on overall health during the teen years can extend throughout a person’s lifetime if left unchecked. Many serious health problems can stem from teen obesity including asthma, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep problems and orthopedic bone problems due to carrying around so much extra weight. In addition to the physical issues, teenage obesity can lead to psychological problems later in life that are associated with having a negative body image and the possible social problems that can stem from being treated like, or feeling like a social outcast.
Teen obesity is a real and growing problem in the U.S. today and with numbers indicating that the total percentage of teens suffering from obesity has tripled from the early 1970s, the statistics clearly show that the condition is aggravated by poor dietary habits and a lack of physical activity. If the teenage weight problem continues trending in this negative direction, it won’t be too long before a whole generation becomes social outcasts in their own time.
