| Our modern world includes challenges that can detract from healthy development. Name 4 of these challenges. | 1. Obesity.
2. Alcohol and drugs.
3. Child abuse.
4. Peer aggression. |
| Describe some statistics that you may know about obesity among the youth. | 1. More than 1 out of 6 children in the U.S. (aged 6 to 19) is overweight or obese (Ogden & Carroll, 2010).
2. The risk of becoming obese begins earlier in life than previously thought. For instance, a major study of over 7000 U.S. children found that the risk of overweight kindergarteners being obese in the eighth grade was FOUR TO FIVE TIMES that of their thinner classmates (Cunningham, Kramer, & Narayan, 2014).
3. These statistics are even more pronounced for U.S. students who are members of cultural minorities or who come from low socioeconomic status backgrounds (Moreno, Johnson-Shelton, & Boles, 2013), as well as gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth (Austin, Nelson, Birkett, Calzo, & Everett, 2013). |
| What are some health risks related to youth obesity? | In addition to immediate health risks, such as high cholesterol and blood pressure, overweight youth often become heavy adults with additional health issues, such as heart disease and diabetes.
In the U.S., obesity related health conditions has amounted to more than $150 billion and result in an estimated 300,000 premature deaths each year. The American Medical Association has labeled obesity a disease and not just a risk factor for other disorders (Brody, 2013). |
| What are some social problems faced by overweight youth? | Overweight youth face social problems such as peer rejection and negative perceptions.
For example, some research indicates that overweight people are unconsciously perceived as less intelligent than their normal-weight peers (Vedantam, 2010). |
| What factors contribute to the obesity problem? | 1. |
