Obesity In Children And Teens

Obesity is fast becoming a global health problem. Statistics show that more and more people are being afflicted with this disease. Contrary to what many people might think, obesity is not just a cosmetic problem. It poses many serious risks to your overall health, and is found to be closely related to the development of heart disease and diabetes, thus preventing you from enjoying an active and healthy lifestyle. Welcome to the Rural Obesity Prevention Toolkit. It’s designed to help pinpoint factors in your community that promote obesity, convene partners to help address those problems, and apply proven obesity prevention strategies.

A question we should all know the answer to is, “How much body fat do I have and how much should I have?” If the doctor’s office doesn’t have a BIA machine or calipers for measuring body fat, then ask, “What’s my BMI?” Just as important is the followup, “Can you explain this information to me?” If you wonder if your child is overweight, the most important thing to do is talk with your primary care provider or another health provider trained on childhood overweight. The provider can accurately measure your child’s height and weight and calculate their body mass index (BMI).

Doctors and researchers have found that obesity and diabetes are connected. Persons who are obese are at high risk for developing Type 2 diabetes (also known as "insulin-resistant" or "adult-onset" diabetes), particularly if a close family member is affected with diabetes. Therefore, it becomes very important to maintain a healthy body weight throughout your life in order to protect yourself from developing a chronic disease like diabetes. As nurses associated with the Genetics of the Acadian People projects, we have been asked questions at public forums concerning obesity and diabetes. The following is a list of some of the most commonly asked questions, together with our answers and advice.

Perhaps the most controversial is the independent film, Super Size Me. Released in 2004, Super Size Me was written, produced and directed by American independent filmmaker, Martin Spurlock in an exploration of the prevalence of obesity in the USA. He documented 30 days of his life in an experiment of eating only McDonald's food with completely no exercise. He began the project as healthy and lean but ended up overweight. It was later followed by several other documentaries and a few changes in the McDonald's menu. The history of obesity should be well studied so precautions can be practiced and thus prevent obesity from spreading.

Nearly 80% of inactive adults want to be active, yet 50% fail to be active. This phenomenon is known infamously as the “intention-behaviour gap”. The “gap” seems to come full force each year when so-called “January Joiners” rush to the gym to fulfill new years resolutions. Well, January has come, and January has gone. So what can you do to avoid being a “January Joiner” who falls off of the fitness train and into the “intention-behaviour gap”? Growing research evidence suggests 3 potential strategies to help you to stick to your resolutions.