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MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018 (HealthDay News) – The epidemic of obesity among American teens is fueled by a desire to lose weight, according to a new report.
In many teens, being overweight or obese may seem more and more "normal", so that they do not feel the urgency of losing weight, some researchers believe.
"The results are very disturbing, since adolescence is the best stage of life for change, but we miss out on obesity prevention opportunities," said the study's principal investigator. , Dr. Jian Zhang. He is an associate professor of epidemiology at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of American teenagers are obese and many others are overweight.
Using data from the US National Health and Nutrition Survey from 1988 to 2014, Zhang's team found that the prevalence of obesity and overweight dropped from 22% in 1988 -1994 to 34% in 2009-2014.
During the same period, the percentage of teenagers who tried to lose weight went from almost 34% to 27%.
Among overweight teens, the percentage of those trying to lose weight decreased from 36% in 1988-94 to 23% in 2009-2014.
In obese boys, the attempt to lose weight went from 68% in 1988-1994 to 42% in 1999-2004, then to 61% in 2009-2014, according to the researchers.
In obese girls, the desire to lose weight dropped from 70% in 1988-1994 to 64% in 1999-2004 and dropped to 59% in 2009-2014, according to the results.
In the long run, obese adolescents are more likely to be obese adults, and obese adults will have a higher risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and many types of cancer, according to the CDC.
Zhang is particularly concerned that pediatricians do not take the lead in encouraging overweight children to lose weight.
"Professional organizations, including the American Heart Association, only recommend screening for obesity, therefore, few pediatricians talk about body weight with their patients and their parents if children are not obese .
By avoiding discussing the problem of weight, teens are not aware of weight as a health problem and are not motivated to do anything to fix it, Zhang added.
"Declines in teens making efforts to lose weight have a deeper impact than the reported decreases in adults. The motivation of teens to engage in a pro-health lifestyle should be intensified." emergency in pediatricians, "suggested Zhang.
Dr. David Katz leads the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center in Derby, Connecticut. He said that society seems to have normalized obesity and abandoned the desire to lose weight.
Plus, dieting is not the solution, he said. Obesity is a lifestyle issue, so changing the way you live can change your appearance and health and improve your health.
"Weight loss in our culture is usually pretty much that – losing weight, it's very rare to find health," said Katz.
The usual approach to losing weight is a restrictive diet that can not be maintained, he stressed.
"There is another way to lose weight that is to find health at the same time," said Katz. "This approach involves learning to eat well and be more active."
It may be that obesity has become America's cultural norm, so the country looks straight ahead, he said.
"This could offer benefits in reducing the bias of obesity, a pernicious and widespread problem in itself," he noted. But obesity increases the risk of almost all chronic diseases and all disabilities, and watching in the past puts these teens at risk, Katz said.
The report was published online June 25 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
More information
To learn more about teenage obesity, visit the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SOURCES: Jian Zhang, M.D., Dr.P.H., Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Ga .; David Katz, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, Derby, Connecticut, and Past President, American College of Lifestyle Medicine; June 25, 2018, JAMA Pediatrics, online
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