Your friend is the parent of a teenager who is slightly overweight and concerned that the child may become obese. Explain factors that contribute to obesity as well as techniques that have been shown to help youth lose weight

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Adolescents have an alarming rate of obesity and/or being overweight, as a function of several factors. These include unhealthy eating habits (too much fast food, intake of fat, and sodium), a lack of healthy intake of specific vitamins and nutrients (including calcium and iron), and a general deficit of healthy activity (exercise).
Overweight/obesity is determined by an individual's body mass index (BMI), which is an adjusted ratio of weight to height. Those who are in the top 5% of BMI are considered overweight.
Many additional factors contribute to obesity, and these may include (but are not limited to): genetics, being prone to inactivity, not getting enough sleep, having friends and/or family members who are inactive and/or overweight, television advertising of unhealthy foods, and parenting that, while well-intended, promotes overeating.
Interventions for obesity involve changing attitudes about food, eating behaviors, increasing exercise and healthy activity, teaching children self-monitoring skills (around eating, exercise, and sedentary behaviors), and involving parents in healthy lifestyle changes. The primary way of dealing with obesity is to prevent it from developing in the first place.