Case study: adolescent obesity, popularity and good nutrition
The number of overweight or obese children and adolescents more than tripled between 1980 and 2004. Although obesity is not restricted by gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, there is a slightly higher risk for those who are poorer. families Girls are more likely to be overweight than boys, and Hispanic and African-American teens are slightly more likely to be obese than other races.
Young people, especially obese teenagers, face multiple problems caused by their weight. First, they face the same health problems that an overweight adult would, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney disease, high blood pressure, and cancer. Second, they face developmental disorders because of their weight and health, especially if they can’t go to school regularly. And finally, they also face social development issues as they struggle to develop their personalities while facing peer pressures beyond what the average child faces.
Children and adolescents become obese for a variety of reasons: They tend to eat an unbalanced diet full of fast foods and very few fruits and vegetables. One study showed that girls and boys between the ages of 10 and 15 admitted that French fries were the only vegetable they regularly consumed. Another study showed that girls ate other vegetables, but only if they were covered in a cheese sauce.
In addition to poor food choices, they tend to be very sedentary, most of them spending most of their time in front of a TV or computer screen or texting and talking on their cell phones. Finally, the children in the study who were most overweight also had overweight parents, suggesting not just a genetic link to explain their weight, but an atmospheric one as well. After all, the children of smokers tend to be smokers themselves, so it would stand to reason that obese parents normally produce obese children.
The problem with weight and young adolescents, especially girls, is the fact that diet and weight loss programs tend to backfire. In a three-year study that followed boys and girls ages 9 to 14, those who dieted ultimately gained more weight than those who didn’t. A different approach is necessary when dealing with overweight young children and adolescents. First, the family must fully agree that there is a problem. Several school districts have come under fire in recent years for sending letters home about a child’s weight and health risks. The parents were unaware that their child could develop “adult” health problems such as type II diabetes or heart disease, or they did not accept that the child was anything more than “chubby” or “stocky.” Rather than face the legal ramifications, school districts stopped informing parents, hoping the child’s doctor would take up the fight.
It is normal for a girl to gain body fat during puberty; it’s just the way the female body works. At this time, it is common for girls to start paying more attention to their physical appearance, and many of them develop eating disorders because they are not happy with what they see. It should also be noted that these girls are more likely to develop depression, which can also increase their chances of gaining even more weight.
Boys begin to gain muscle mass and also increase in height, leading them to feel more satisfied with their bodies, while young girls become increasingly annoyed by what they see in the mirror. By the age of 15, more than half of girls in 16 countries are on a diet. The United States is the country with the most weight-obsessed girls, with 47% of 11-year-old girls dieting and 62% of 15-year-old girls doing so. Ethnicity plays a role in how girls feel about their bodies, with African-American girls reporting more body satisfaction than Caucasian girls of the same age group.
While most people assume that it’s peer pressure that influences teen body dissatisfaction, one study found that wasn’t necessarily the case. In fact, peer pressure was shown to rank third on the list of factors, behind media images and parental attitudes. It’s important to realize that young women who are overly concerned with body images portrayed in the media, including magazines, television, and movies, are more likely to develop depression and eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia. Ironically, this group of girls is more likely to go in the opposite direction and gain weight on purpose because they say they will never look like the women they see on a daily basis.
It’s not as simple as a diet
Obviously, it’s not as simple as suggesting that these children diet. It’s about changing an entire family’s attitude toward weight, nutrition and body image, as well as exercise. It’s impossible to believe that a 15-year-old girl or boy would be satisfied eating fresh fruits and vegetables while mom, dad, and her siblings ate burgers and fries. It’s also impossible to believe that these teens would willingly get off the couch and walk away from their video games, movies, or other electronics to exercise when no one else is doing it. Everyone needs to work on changing how they feel about food and weight so the child doesn’t feel “sick” or “different.”
Behavioral treatment must be addressed and attitude or weight will not change, at least not in a positive way.
Renee and her family: a positive case study
Renee was whimpering in gym class again when she suddenly collapsed on the gym floor. In a panic, the school sent her to the emergency room and then called her mother. The doctor, a gruff and flat man, explained to Renee’s mother that her daughter was 55 pounds overweight and if something didn’t change immediately, she was going to die with the body of a middle-aged woman. Renee’s episode was a reaction to her body not getting enough oxygen during gym class and would continue to get worse if she didn’t make a change. An appointment was made for Renee and her parents in two days for a follow-up.
At this appointment, Renee, her mother, Emily, and her father, Doug, met with a doctor and a nutritionist who agreed that the family needed change for everyone. Doug, never convinced that he was overweight, decided to leave the room. Emily, however, listened carefully to how to make small changes, one at a time so the family wouldn’t be overwhelmed. She and Renee went to the grocery store with a list of new fruits and vegetables to try, as well as recipes for turkey and chicken dishes that were better for them than the red meat they had been eating for so long. They’ve learned how to use low-fat yogurt instead of mayonnaise and how to include more vegetables in their meals without anyone really seeing them.
Renee and Emily agreed to join the women-only gym so they could work out without making it too psychologically difficult for them. Another change they’ve made is to eat mini-meals, spread out throughout the day so they’re never too hungry. Between breakfast and lunch, and again after dinner, both Renee and her mother take a protein supplement that they are using. It gives them high-quality protein and keeps them from feeling hungry without the high calorie count of other protein supplements.