Despite the well documented physical emotional toll that obesity takes on the self-esteem of children and teens - the majority of those surveyed would not want weight loss surgery.
Professor Paul Gateley, who leads the Carnegie Weight Management program, surveyed 100 clinically obese children (aged 8-17). Here is what he and his team found;
60% felt surgery was cheating. 71% felt weight loss surgery was dangerous. 61% believed there were easier ways to lose weight. 29% of the children saw eating too much junk food as the cause of their problem. 59% claimed that managing portion sizes was the main reason for their heavy weight. 60% feel that they get no support in overcoming their weight issues at school. 42% say they have been subjected to bullying. 58% think their body weight will prevent them from getting a boyfriend/girlfriend. A similar percentage worried that their weight would prevent them from pursuing their dream career. What we can learn from this
Youth obesity is easily one of the most pressing health concerns of the developed and developing world. Understanding the fears, concerns and mindsets of these kids is crucial to developing successful interventions to reverse this trend.
It all starts at home: parents need to take control of their children's health by role-modeling healthy behaviours and providing a home environment whereby they set their children up for success. More often than not, obese children have obese children. This is an opportunity to get healthy as a family.
Government/school boards need to do their part: Providing healthy fare at schools and access to healthy foods for low income families is imperative. On the education front, physical education should be a staple in all schools. Further, classes on living a healthy lifestyle should be included in the curriculum of schools. The fact that only 29% of children saw eating too much junk food as being responsible for their weight problem is surprising.
Reversing this worrying trend will be neither easy nor quick. Massive paradigm shifts take time, persistence and the dedication of many individuals and organizations banding together towards a common purpose. - 31875
Professor Paul Gateley, who leads the Carnegie Weight Management program, surveyed 100 clinically obese children (aged 8-17). Here is what he and his team found;
60% felt surgery was cheating. 71% felt weight loss surgery was dangerous. 61% believed there were easier ways to lose weight. 29% of the children saw eating too much junk food as the cause of their problem. 59% claimed that managing portion sizes was the main reason for their heavy weight. 60% feel that they get no support in overcoming their weight issues at school. 42% say they have been subjected to bullying. 58% think their body weight will prevent them from getting a boyfriend/girlfriend. A similar percentage worried that their weight would prevent them from pursuing their dream career. What we can learn from this
Youth obesity is easily one of the most pressing health concerns of the developed and developing world. Understanding the fears, concerns and mindsets of these kids is crucial to developing successful interventions to reverse this trend.
It all starts at home: parents need to take control of their children's health by role-modeling healthy behaviours and providing a home environment whereby they set their children up for success. More often than not, obese children have obese children. This is an opportunity to get healthy as a family.
Government/school boards need to do their part: Providing healthy fare at schools and access to healthy foods for low income families is imperative. On the education front, physical education should be a staple in all schools. Further, classes on living a healthy lifestyle should be included in the curriculum of schools. The fact that only 29% of children saw eating too much junk food as being responsible for their weight problem is surprising.
Reversing this worrying trend will be neither easy nor quick. Massive paradigm shifts take time, persistence and the dedication of many individuals and organizations banding together towards a common purpose. - 31875
About the Author:
Stephen Trenen is trainer in a sport club and he runs his own interesting website about Best Diet Plans, check it out to learn more tried-out Diet Plans.
