Obesity and being overweight are problems for teenagers in Australia. Different studies in Australia showed that a large amount of the teenagers in Australia have become obese. This is a concern mainly because there are many side effects of being obese. The health risks are already concerning, especially how teenagers as young as 13-14 are becoming obese. Health experts in Australia have informed many schools and parents to take a more pro-active role in the long term health of Australian teenagers. Especially after a survey showing that a quarter of Australia’s teenagers were obese.
Scope of the study
The aim for this investigation is to investigate a topic regarding food and hospitality. My hypotheses is “why is obesity a growing concern
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What are the risk factors that contribute to Australian teenagers being overweight?
According to the Australian’s ABC News service, approximately 30% of the teenagers in West Australia are classified obese. The cause of obesity among Australian teenagers, are the exact reasons why American teenagers are obese. There are any risk factors that contribute to Australian teens being overweight. One example of a risk factor is having a poor family lifestyle. It is rare to see only one member in a family who is obese, although it can happen but obesity tends to run in families. If the parents are obese it is certain to increase the change of obesity for the teenager. As we all know that parents are the leaders in the family, and if one unhealthy habit occurs within the parents, likely the teenagers will follow. From an interview conducted, Jessica Murphy stated “I am the only person in my family who is not overweight. It was hard for me to maintain my healthy diet because there were times were my family almost influenced me to eat the same meals they eat. I definitely believe a risk factor that contributes to teenagers in Australia being obese is bad family eating
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Teenagers in particular are being taught bad eating habits from their parents or a member in their family. If they see their parents eating unhealthy food, they will then want to do the same. Not only is that but the parents also to blame because they are usually the ones to give their kids the same unhealthy food they eat. According to a survey that was conducted, when asked “do you believe bad family eating habits can result in teenagers becoming obese?” Up to 97% of students in year 12 aged 17-18 believed that it leads to obesity. Only about 3% of students believed that it wasn’t the cause. (See graph
Our families could do more to encourage their children to make changes in their lifestyle early on in their lives. You can see this in a child who is raised in a family that is not concerned about the eating habits that he is developing, by the time the he enters school it may already be too late. The child could enter depression as other kids make fun of him for not fitting in the “norm”. Then back at home the family may even encourage such eating behaviors to the child. Families spend lots of time being concerned about other health aspects of their kids, but fail to see that being obese can have very powerful emotional impacts on their children.
Obesity is becoming a major health problem in developing countries like Australia, North America, Europe and other developing nations. The Australian Diabetes, obesity and life style study (AUSDIAB) predicts the changes in glucose indices; health behaviour and incidence of diabetes in 5 year follow up experiments among 5842 participants (Barr et al., 2007). This study suggests that a large number of Australians suffered mortality due to cardiovascular diseases associated with abnormal glucose metabolism every year. The Framingham Heart Study revealed that hypertension, diabetes and left ventricular remodelling lead to the development of congestive heart failure (Levy et al., 1996). The Framingham Heart Study also found that a 5% increase in weight increases the chance of hypertension by 30% over a four-year period of time. An increased sympathetic activity, impaired renin-angiotensin system, retention of fluid volume, peripheral vasoconstriction, dyslipidaemia, increased blood viscosity due to the increased haematocrit and fibrinogen may increase pressure overload on heart in obesity (Schunkert, 2002). Several studies also suggest that the cause of hypertension itself may contribute to left ventricular hypertrophy in obese individuals as the increase of BMI increases the chance of hypertension (De Simone et al., 1994; Avelar et al., 2007). High dietary fat intake increases the expression of angiotensin IB(AT1B) and Endothelin A (ETA) receptors (Neilsen et al., 2004; Zhang et al., 2005). Plasma concentrations of angiotensin II and endothelin 1 (physiological vasoconstrictor agents) were increased in both obese patients and animal models (Barton et al., 2000; Neilsen et al., 2004; Zhang et al., 2005). Recent studies have shown that reduced synthesis of nitric oxide (NO; a major vasodilator) from L-arginine in endothelial cells is a major factor contributing to the impaired action of insulin in the vasculature of obese and diabetic subjects. Obesity results from an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. Growing evidence suggests that arginine plays an important role in regulating metabolism of energy substrates in mammals (Frank et al. 2007; Jobgen et al. 2006). NO is synthesized from L-arginine by NO synthase. As a signalling molecule, physiological levels of NO stimulate glucose uptake, as well as glucose and fatty-acid oxidation in skeletal muscle, heart, liver, and adipose tissues (Jobgen et al. 2006). Nitric oxide also inhibits the synthesis of glucose, glycogen and lipid in liver and adipose tissues and enhances lipolysis in subcutaneous adipocytes (Jobgen et al.
Some may know that obesity can be caused simply by unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise, and other factors. One other factor that I found was it can also be a genetic factor as well(WebMD 2016). Which I noticed leads only back to the parents.I don 't find it acceptable for parents that think the easy way out by buying fast food and look the other way because little do they know it is one step closer to obesity. It 's almost like they were in denial because they aren 't letting their children starve but is your child consuming the right nutrition that she or he need? They are not only children who are in need of proteins, vitamins, and grains to grow into their mature bodies. As well, the role of parenting has the abilities and control to avoid future
In the 21st century childhood obesity is regarded as one of the most serious public health challenges faced by the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2013). Figures recorded by the National Child Measurement programme for the 2011/12 period showed children aged 10-11, of which 14.7% were overweight and a further 19.2% figure were classed as obese. Statistics from the same report also indicate boys in the same age group are more likely to be obese with a figure of 20.7% compared to a 17.7% figure for girls. These figures are a large cause for concern for both these children and on a wider scale, society. Obesity is caused by a number of factors that can range from the not so obvious of social class, to the clear lack of exercise and poor diet. Obese or overweight children are more likely to carry this status into adulthood and put themselves at an increased risk of developing associated health problems such as raised cholesterol, high blood pressure and even premature mortality (Public Health England, 2013). Obesity is defined as the over consumption of calories in relation to little physical activity, this means calories consumed are not being burnt but turned into fat cells (NHS, 2012).
Obesity is growing rapidly, therefore we must take action while we can. Portion sizes are becoming more and more immense. A Facts on File Article titled “Diet, Nutrition, and Wellness” discussed the growing problems caused by obesity. From going to McDonalds and getting a happy meal to going to subway and getting a footlong sub. Either way, it is changing our diets to eat more than we need which eventually, adds on a couple pounds (Diet). People who go to restaurants on a daily basis end up eating about one thousand calories a meal more than someone at some would (Diet). When most people go out to eat, even at a fancier restaurant, they are not worrying about how many calories their meal is, they are ordering whatever sounds good to them (Diet). Every now and then, that is okay bu...
Obesity is a general heath issue, a condition where fat is accumulated in body due to increased energy production from consumption of food and drinks which is greater than the energy utilized by the body. The ongoing frequency of Obesity epidemic in Australia is leading public health challenges confronted by all healthcare professionals with compel to come up with strategies towards its prevention and control.
As many people are trying to put the blame of obesity on restaurants, others, like myself, have a strong opinion that the restaurants have nothing to do with obesity and the customer has the right to order what they would like. Some supporters believe that government should take action to...
Keywords: health, promotion, teenagers, obesity, eating, habits. Midterm Paper Developmental Efforts Related to Adolescent Obesity Qualitative Research “More than one third of our children and adolescents in our country are now overweight or obese” (Kids and Obesity). This epidemic is also skyrocketing the occurrence of disorders and other health issues such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, asthma, bone and joint problems, weight problems and obesity. But obesity can also affect adolescents on a deeper level, especially those of lower socioeconomic classes. Depression and low self esteem is also directly related to obesity and has high tendencies to lead to substance abuse in males and eating disorders in females (weight problems and obesity).
This health issue contributes to the development of several serious chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, some types of cancer and type 2 diabetes later in adulthood (Pasold, McCracken & Ward-Begnoche, 2014, p. 300). In Australia, it is estimated that almost one quarter of the teenagers’ population is overweight or obese (Diabetic Health Clinic, 2015). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), overweight and obesity is viewed as “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation” in one’s body; a condition likely to increase both short and long term health
Parents are not teaching children how to eat healthy. They feed them cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, and fries. Kids are not being exposed to a regular diet of health fruits and vegetables. Now some people are just naturally overweight, but being “overweight” is not the same as being “obese.” Someone who is overweight has reached a maximum weight limit for their height. When someone goes beyond this maximum limit, then they are considered “obese” (Kiess 1). Research shows that “obesity is generally defined as the abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat in adipose tissue” (Kiess 1). The increase in childhood obesity today is mainly the fault of the parent because they are unable to tell their children “no” when it comes to junk food (Kiess 104). Parents are the one buying all the food that comes into the house. They are the ones buying the sugary drinks and chips. They are the ones allowing the children to “have what they want.” Because parents are not teaching their children how to eat healthy, we will continue to see childhood obesity increase. Unfortunately, overweight children will be the ones who suffer because statistics show children who are overweight are more likely to become obes...
Obesity is a big social issue in America. Due to the popularity of fast food and other unhealthy foods, more and more Americans are developing health diseases and disorders. We should be getting the correct daily nutrition amount, but because of our fast paced lifestyles we sometimes do not have enough time. Fast food restaurants make it possible to grab a meal and go. We often do not pay attention to the nutrition amount, but are simply looking for a quick bite to eat that will fulfill our hunger. Fast food is assisting in the increase of obesity in America (“Phrase” par.2).
Obesity is one of the leading causes of death in the world; in fact, it is responsible for 300,000 adolescent deaths each year. From 1980 to 2000 alone, teen obesity rates went up 10 percent. Although obesity does not seem like a big dilemma, it is a problem that’s growing every year, affecting children and their lives. Teenage obesity can result from many factors and prove hazardous to a person’s health, yet it is controllable with proper treatment and care.
Childhood obesity is a growing problem not only in New Zealand but worldwide. This is due to many factors and has many effects on society. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 30. BMI is a measure of your weight divided by your height, the normal range is considered to be from 18 to 25 and over 30 is said to be obese. BMI became an international standard for obesity measurement in the 1980s (S.Wilson, 2000). Obesity is not just a modern day problem, Ancient Egyptians are said to consider obesity as a disease, having been drawn in a wall of depicted illnesses. Perhaps the most famous and earliest evidence of obesity is the Venus figurines, statuettes of an obese female torso that probably had a major role in rituals. Ancient China has also been aware of obesity and the dangers that come with it. They have always been a believer of prevention as a key to longevity (L.Dobbins, Dec 2007). Obesity is considered to be a problem because it is a risk factor for many chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes. The New Zealand health strategy has two objectives that relate directly to obesity, to improve nutrition and to increase physical activity (Reuters, Feb. 15 2008). Experts and the media are feeding us with information on this ‘,obesity epidemic’, but is there actually a problem? An epidemic is the occurrence of more cases of a disease than would be expected in a community or region during a given time period. According to New Zealand Herald 95% of parents considered the number of overweight and obese children to be a significant problem. In other words there is sufficient evidence to say we do have an obesity epidemic on our hands.
There are many health issues and concerns for teenagers. Many health issues are related to illegal substances but everyday food is just as big of a danger. Obesity is sweeping the nation and its due to all of the amount of junk food, fast food, and sweets that are promoted and sold every day. In the United States the number of teenagers that are obese is increasing rapidly. 18% of teen from ages 12 to 19 are obese. That is tripling teen obesity in 1980. 30% of kids from ages 6 to 19 years old are obese. These statistics show a huge problem and it is growing faster than ever.
Obesity in adults has recently become a big issue. With more and more adults becoming obese every day it’s pretty obvious why it’s become such a big deal. People everywhere are now exercising more to get fit, but most the time they forget to improve their nutrition. The obesity rate in adults isn’t the only thing to rise greatly. Teenagers and kids are now facing the same problems with obesity as adults are. The main problems that cause obesity are poor nutrition and a lack of exercise. Many people now are focus on exercising and forgetting how big of a role nutrition plays in weight. Obesity hasn’t been too much of a problem in generations before, but now it’s become a really big issue. I believe bad habits that start at a young age are harder to break when we’re older, which is why I want to focus on teenagers and their poor eating habits. I think the poor eating habits of teenagers transfer into adult hood where they become obese because they are no longer growing but still eating whatever they want. I want to know why the nutrition of teenagers now is so poor compared to the generations before us. Being a teenager myself, I can write about the bad eating habits I personally have, in an attempt to fix them by becoming better informed. I hope to completely break my bad habits by totally changing what I eat and my perspective on food.