Teenage Obesity: A Living Nightmare

As the rate of obesity continues to climb in the United States, one age group is feeling the ramifications more than most. Teenage obesity is becoming an epidemic and for many teens, a living nightmare. According to the American Obesity Association, "...30.4% {of teens} are overweight and 15.5% are obese." These obese teenagers are facing medical, psychological, and social problems each and every day of their lives. How do I know this is true? I was one of them.

The years that teens spend in high school can be difficult under the best of circumstances. Imagine those same years being 50, 75, or even 100 pounds overweight. Often when a teen is facing these problems, the least of their concerns is their health. However, these are the years where serious medical issues begin to arise. Diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease are becoming more common in youth than ever before. The American Obesity Association reports that " Today's youth are considered the most inactive generation in history caused in part by reductions in school physical education programs and unavailable or unsafe community recreational facilities." The lack of activity as well as nutrition issues are the leading causes of teenage obesity. As the medical issues begin to arise in teens, typical age appropriate activities can become very difficult for the adolescents. Rushing to classes, participating in physical education activities, and climbing flights of stairs in a school building can lead to shortness of breath, dizziness, and fatigue at a time in life where youngsters should feel their best. Often times, these issues are pressed to the back of the youngsters mind because they are difficult issues to face. It may take a caring adult to pursue professional intervention. Although it can be an embarrassing and difficult conversation to have with the child, seeking this care for an obese teen is paramount to a healthy future.

There are times that issues we assume are medical in nature are actually something very different. Psychological issues in an overweight teen are not uncommon. Teens are dealing with being larger than all of their peers and they face a multitude of obstacles during a school day. Many school do not have desks and chairs that are conducive to overweight teens. Often times the desks and chairs are connected causing the teens to have to squeeze in and be uncomfortable during classes. High schools generally require students to change for physical education classes in an open locker room with their same sex peers and can be potentially devastating for an obese teenager. These situations can be like living through a nightmare each and every day. It should come as no surprise then that these students begin to try and find ways to avoid such difficult situations. Suddenly, a child may have frequent headaches, stomach problems, or other issues that at face value seem medical. Once any health issues have been ruled out, it becomes apparent that these problems lay much deeper. After all, it is much easier on a students self esteem and mental health to feign sickness than it is to face the reality and fears that go through their mind each day. Again, it may take adult intervention to create or find strategies that will assist the obese teen and lessen the pressures of these situations.

Worse than medical issues, worse than psychological issues for a teen, are the social issues that come with being obese. There is nothing more isolating or debilitating than walking through a crowded hallway and having people yell names out while everyone laughs. Many obese teens, no matter how happy they may seem or how easy going they act, are actually being destroyed on the inside. They want just one friend or one person to be kind to them and sometimes that just doesn't happen. Nobody enjoys being an outcast and no teen enjoys staying home alone on Friday nights while the other teens attend school dances or movies.

Obviously, in an ideal world, no one would be obese. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world. Short of losing the weight, obese teens need a lot of strategies to make it through a typical day in the life of most teens. They need ways to overcome obstacles without making them more of a target. It is critical that these teens know they have the love and support of their families and of the adults that surround them each day. Assisting the teen in finding activities where they can showcase their talents and fit in might also be helpful. However, the most important thing we can do as a society is be sure that we are educating all children with the facts and realities of teenage obesity. Doing these things can only serve to make our schools a better place to learn and a more enjoyable place for everyone.

Sources:

American Obesity Association - AOA Fact Sheets, May 2, 2005, www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/obesity_youth.shtml