Teen Obesity

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Recommended: How to reduce childhood obesity in schools

In the past decade, teens in America have disregarded their healthy state due to lack of eating habits and exercise. However, teens are not to blame for becoming obese. Because of stress, depression, social pressure, and their grandparent's eating habits, it can be the key factors for teen obesity. As a result, schools can be the change in a teen's life by encouraging healthier eating habits.

If eating habits do not change, teens will become obese. Besides unhealthy eating habits, there are many factors that can cause obesity: lack of exercise, overeating, medications, genes, depression, stress, and problems with family and peers ("Obesity in Children and Teens" par. 1-3). Over the past decade, teen obesity has risen from 14.4% to 15.8% because of the activities and foods that teens put into their body (Collins Dana par. 4). For example, teens eat and spend over half their time watching TV, not eating enough fruits and vegetables, exercising, and drinking too much soda. These factors result in the 16-33% of children and teens that are obese ("Obesity in Children and Teens" par. 1-3). As a result, teens develop self-esteem issues, health problems, and social issues at home and school when they become obese. Also, teens want to eat more because it makes them happy from the release of dopamine, serotonin, leptin, and ghrelin (Lawrenson par. 6; M. Radwan par. 8).

Serotonin, leptin, ghrelin, and dopamine play a vital role in teens becoming obese. They release from the leptin-serotonin pathway, the hypothalamus, stomach, and intestines (S. Rowe and McNulty Walsh par. 1, 3; Mirkin par. 1; Streich par. 2; Martini and Bartholomew 276-277; Morse par. 13). The significance of the leptin-serotonin pathway is that leptin suppresses hunger,...

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... How do I control stress-induced weight gain?. (2011): n. page. Web. 30 Dec. 2011. .

"Teen Depression." Teenage Depression Statistics. Teen Depression, n.d. Web. 26 Dec 2011. .

TimePhotos. What Makes You Eat More Food. N.d. Photograph. Time Web. 26 Dec 2011. .

Widome, Rachel, Mary Story, Jess Haines, J. Peter Hannan, and Dianne Neumark-Sztainer. "American Journal of Public Health." Eating When There is Not Enough to Eat: Eating Behaviors and Perceptions of Food Among Food-Insecure Youths 99.5 (2009): 822-828. EbscoHost. Web. 26 Dec 2011. .

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