According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, 16 percent of young people in the United States aged 6 to 19 are considered overweight--having a body mass index of 25 or higher.
This is due to a steep decline in physical activity during adolescence.
However, researchers at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque showed that increasing exercise to the equivalent of two to five hours of brisk walking each week could help to prevent girls from gaining weight (from nine to 20 pounds) during their teen years.
Fit Findings
Researchers studied body mass index and physical activity in over 2,000 girls who were followed up from the ages of 9 to 19; skin folds (another indicator of being overweight or obese) were also measured.
Results showed:
There was a doubling in the rate of excess weight and obesity in girls who had a pronounced decline in physical activity during the transition from childhood to adolescence (even though they did not change what they ate).
In addition, African American girls were found to be significantly heavier than white girls throughout adolescence; about 32 percent of white girls, compared to 11 percent of African American girls, kept up their childhood level of physical activity during adolescence.
Therefore, maintaining even minimal amounts of activity during adolescence could be a method for primary prevention of obesity development, not to mention adult-onset diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Lancet July 23-29, 2005;366(9482):301-7
Reuters July 14, 2005
This is an important study because over 9 million youngsters in the United States aged 6-19, or 16 percent, are considered overweight. Eating French fries and drinking soft drinks are some of the reasons for this epidemic. Fortunately, this behavior is something that most parents have control over.
Along with inactivity, extreme dieting has also been linked to teen obesity. Of course, a key to healthy weight management starts with eating healthy food that your body is meant to consume.
And, if your child isn't active enough, turning off the TV would be a major first step in the right direction. Then, check out these 20 activities you can do with your kids other than watch TV.
Obesity is bad enough for all the social issues connected with it, but research in 2004 showed that lack of exercise is actually more dangerous than being obese.
Earlier this year, research confirmed my earlier impression that when you have weight to lose you simply must exercise more than the 30-45 minutes required if you are already fit and of normal weight. You really need to double that to 60-90 minutes a day if you hope to have a chance at normalizing your weight.
In addition to putting in the time, though, there are important characteristics of exercise necessary if it is going to help you lose weight. You can review my more detailed comment on the specifics of exercise to make it effective for weight loss for more information.
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Extreme Dieting Leads to Teen Obesity When Was the Last Time Your Doctor Wrote you a Script for Exercise?
Extreme Dieting Leads to Teen Obesity
When Was the Last Time Your Doctor Wrote you a Script for Exercise?