Teen Obesity
By: Kacie Misner
Obesity Percentages
*In 2007, the teenage obesity statistics showed that boys were heavier than girls with male teenage obesity at 16.3% and female at 9.6%.
*Further teen obesity in America statistics show the rate of overweight teens was 15.8%, up from 14.4% in previous years.
*It is no surprise that the rate of teen obesity in America is increasing. In the same teenage survey, 35.4% watched television 3 hours or more on average daily, 78.6% did not eat the recommended 5 servings of daily fruits and vegetables, 33.8% drank pop at least one time daily and 65.3% did not meet the recommendations for physical activity.
*While teenage obesity in America increases, 45.2% of overweight teens were trying to lose weight in 2007. This statistic is up from 41.8% in previous years.
Causes Of Teen Obesity
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Physical Inactivity:
This is another major cause of teen obesity and with most of the teens spending more time watching the television or on mobiles and playing computers with their friends. Another cause is that they lack interest in extra-curricular activities after college or school. These are some of the causes of teen obesity.
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Bad Eating Patterns:
Unhealthy eating habits are another cause of obesity among teens. Teens are consuming very high fat foods like chips, fries, burgers and fizzy drinks. This is another main reason for obesity.
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Genetic Patterns:
Family behaviors and genetic patterns are some of the other causes for teen obesity. Obese parents have obese children because these obese parents have bad rating habits. This can result in poor family nutrition leading to overweight kids who grow up to be obese teens and later obese adults.
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Hormonal Imbalances:
Another cause is the imbalances in the hormones especially, during the teen years. Teenager’s have significant changes in their hormonal levels when they reach their puberty. This could trigger food cravings to some foods and overeating, which results in obesity in teens.
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Lower metabolism:
Some teenagers have the bad tendency to conserve or retain the energy, which is observed from an early childhood. The milestones in children are quicker than seen usually. This retained energy can also be a cause of lowered metabolism, which results in accumulation of fats.