Preview

The impact of social change on teenagers’ health

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
498 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The impact of social change on teenagers’ health
Verna
Capstone research project
Dr. Natasha V Watson
Feb 4 2014

The impact of social change on teenagers’ health Teenagers’ getting overweight has become an inexorable trend. Society could change as time goes by. A social change can happen in various areas of human life, such as cutting down the size of the family domestic, advancement of economic status, improvement of high technology and modification of dietary habit. Social change is the main factor that causes teenagers’ obesity. A number of factors cause teenager’s obesity. The first element is the economic status advancement. I still remember that, as a child, I was chubby. I always had several meals a day. My parents always prepared a host of dishes for dinner and obligated us “Do not waste any food.” they forced us to eat the food even though we were full. However, some people claim that rise economic advancement made people more aware of their need for physical fitness. Well development countries getting food resources are easier than low development countries. Nevertheless, the varieties provisions, which come from foreign countries, not only bring many different cultures and customs, but also lead to worse diet hobbits. Take United States for an example, the economic status of the United States is superior to which of Africa while the obesity rate of people in the United States is higher than that of people in Africa countries.
Another factor is high technology. We live in the twenty-first century, a highly technological period of time. For instance, humans remain within doors as a result of spending excessive time in front of the computer, talking on the cell phone, watching television. They do not like to exercise. Some people might doubt that high technology lead to teenagers’ obesity. Although high technology brings us convenience, people can use technology to sustain physical fitness such as using the indoor fitness equipment and calculating calorie. Notwithstanding, the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Obesity Unit 2 Essay

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Obesity is known to be one of the most public health disorder concerned globally. Some of the factors that impact obesity socially is greater exposure to fast-food advertisements, limited access to physical activity opportunities, and poor individual choices/ lifestyle choices. Furthermore according to the article, sociodemographic (age, race, ethnicity, and language) plays a huge role in obesity. For instance, low-income families are likely to face more challenges and become obese due to not being able to eat healthy. These factors of social impact and individual choices also impact biological reasons. For example, due to an individual’s choice of living and…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    This happen because the obesity usually caused by poverty. Low-income, race, and unhealthy food that people consume are the segments that connect it all. For example, the households with limited resources to buy enough food often try to stretch their food budgets by purchasing cheap, energy-dense foods that are filling – meaning that they try to maximize their calories per dollar in order to stave off hunger. This is an example why obesity caused by poverty. People need to fight against obesity and poverty to life healthier and longer. In this article, we can see how we stop obesity. School can be one of the factors that can change this obesity because youngsters spend so much time in them and they are valued community institutions. School can teach them about good nutrition food, and can teach them physical…

    • 1013 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Epidemiological Triangle

    • 1401 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Obesity in America is on the rise. In the last few decades, the world has changed in a very dramatic way. Computers, cellphones, the internet, and video games have brought teenage obesity to a disturbing level. While there isn't one single cause of obesity; there are a number of factors that come into play. For example, genetic, biological, behavioral, and cultural factors play a big role in obesity.…

    • 1401 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The nature of society has changed greatly since the mid 20th century. With this change, the face and size of American youth has been altered. Increasing numbers of children ranging from infants to adolescents have become obese. Since the 1970's, obesity in children age two to five and adolescents age 12 to 19 has more than doubled. However, the fact that the percentage of children between the ages of 6 and 11 who are obese has tripled is increasingly frightening. American culture has changed vastly over the past three decades, ranging from the design of neighborhoods and communities, to the fast-food obsession Americans have developed. The way in which American culture has developed and changed, along with hereditary factors inherited from parents, has caused a high increase in the percentage of obese children.…

    • 2661 Words
    • 76 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Obesity occurs when an individual has more body fat then what is considered healthy for their height. People who have excess body fat are more likely to develop health issues then non-obese people. Sadly, obesity has become an epidemic in our nation, spreading throughout both the adult and adolescent communities. “Recent studies have shown that 17 percent of the nation’s 6- to 19-year-olds are obese, and that more than a third are overweight. Those rates have about doubled in the past three decades,” (Hotakainen 2012). Unquestionably, there have been many changes in our culture over the last 30 years. Technology and modern conveniences have transformed the way people work and play in the 21st century. Currently, many young people find themselves trying to keep up with schedules that, in most cases, leave little time for healthy choices. Thus, many children find it difficult to maintain their ideal body weight. Undeniably, there are many different lifestyle factors responsible for the obesity issue affecting our American youth today.…

    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lets Move

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages

    No one can pinpoint the exact cause of why more children are obese. Theories including; less school activity at recess and gym, larger portions of foods, less eating at home, no after school playing are some of the reasons cited for the problem. These current trends if left unchecked will only cause a greater problem for generations to come. Using historical data as obtained by the Council on American fitness, the problem is growing at an alarming rate.…

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Paper

    • 1122 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Obesity in children and adolescents is a serious issue, with many health and social consequences that often continue into adulthood. An attempt is made here to study the nature and causes of obesity in children. Initial focus is on the origins of obesity; how family eating patterns, environmental and lifestyle, genetic inheritance, are crucial factors. Lifestyle and eating habits play an important part in childhood obesity. The long-term effects of this social scourge are discussed, and possible solutions for prevention explored.
Firstly, it is important to gain an understanding of what obesity is. According to Wlardlow (2000), obesity is defined as a condition characterized by excess body fat. It is also defined as the condition of a person being 20 percent above average weight. Generally speaking, consumption of foods high in sugar and fats lead to obesity. Alcohol intake can also contribute to the condition, due to its high sugar content. Obesity is a serious medical disease that affects 20-25 percent of children and adolescents in Australia. It is the second leading cause of preventable death after smoking (Fitzgerald, 2000). According to research, everyone has and needs fat tissue in their bodies. When there is too much body fat, the result is obesity (World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia, 1996). Obesity can be measured by calculating the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a mathematical calculation used to identify overweight and obesity in adults, children and adolescents.
There are many factors that contribute to obesity, including lack of adequate physical activity, a sedentary lifestyle, eating habits, environment, family habits and genetic inheritance (Vatta, 2000). The environment in which a child lives has a great effect on how healthy the child will be. A healthy environment that promotes a healthy diet is one that encourages consumption of nutritious foods in reasonable amounts, and regular physical activity. However, according to a recent survey, many…

    • 1122 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The more time children spend watching television, the more their body fat percentage increases. This is contributing to the increase in childhood obesity. (Jordan) In addition to the messages children are receiving from advertisements, evidence shows that while children are engaged in television or gaming activities they are more likely to snack more frequently, contributing to the increase in childhood obesity. Although the amount of time spent on watching television and playing videogames is disturbing, what really is at question is why. Why are children less active? Changes in the family have occurred over the last 20 years. There are more 2 income families and more single parent households. These changes can lead to more children being left without supervision and little planned activities. Safety also plays a role in the amount physical activity that children are involved in. Children in urban environments may not have areas that are free of traffic or an area of protected space in which to play on. In addition neighborhoods in urban areas may be riddled with crime. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Not only does crime and traffic impede the ability for children to enjoy outside physical activity as they had in the past, it also impacts them from obtaining low impact exercise such as that which could be gained from walking to school or to a friend’s…

    • 2337 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Excercise 21

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages

    According to the U,S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States over the past 20 years. Obesity epidemic has affected every part of the world. When speaking about United States, more than 72 million adults are obese and there is not a single state that has an obesity rate less than 15 % (CDC Vitalsigns 2010). Among all Americans Obesity has been directly linked to hypertension, diabetes, cancer, depression and many other health problems. Each year, approximately 400.000 deaths result from obesity and its complications and costs the national economy nearly $122.9 billion annually (Menifield 2008). In addition, as of 2004, the proportion of obese adults in the U,S. reached 32% of the total population. Among adolescents, obesity has increased to 17.1% of the population between the 1999-2004 periods (Menifield 2008). This increase in prevalence has made obesity a threat to public health in United States. There are various reasons of obesity such as behavior, environment and genetic factors. One of the causes of obesity is energy imbalance. This means eating too many calories compared to physical activity. As we know that, nowadays people spend more time watching T.V and playing video games. Moreover food portion size has also increased not only at home but also in many restaurants. In addition, environment and behavior play a large role causing people to be overweight. People make decision base on their culture, values and beliefs. For example, in some culture it is not important for women to exercise or women are not allowed to go for a walk. Many community lack sidewalks, parks and public activity area and that may influence their activity level. Science indicates that genetics shows a role in obesity. Genes can directly cause obesity in disorders such as Bardet-Biedl syndrome and Prader-Willi…

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The factors that influence the obesity epidemic are mostly of social and economic nature. From economic perspective, people with average or below-average income are not always able to afford buying healthy food. Moreover, the popularity and affordability of fast food contributes to obesity epidemic as well. Since early childhood years, children consume unhealthy food that tastes good and yet adds fat to body. In addition, the level of physical activity is steadily decrease as active games outdoors are replaced with passive spending of spare time, such as playing video games or surfing the internet.…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Emerging Adulthood

    • 2004 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The past three decades in the world have seen the number of young people with obesity increase by nearly a triple. This is according to reports from the National Center for Health Statistics (Eisenberg, Radunovich, & Brennan, 2013). Obesity is rarely caused by genetic or hormonal defects, and the main reason for the high occurrence of obesity, therefore, is the high intake of calories than an individual can burn. As much as the major reasons for the overall increase in the number of overweight and obese adolescents is not known, the most common theory is that the society has become more successful. This implies that adolescents…

    • 2004 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Obesity in America.

    • 1991 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Childhood obesity is a huge health problem in United States that affects about 12.5 million children and teens in this country alone. Since 1960 scientist have been monitoring obesity problem in United States and between 1980’s and 1990’s they have seen a drastic increase in childhood obesity from about 5% to sky high 15% which is a concerning number for young people. There are many different reasons why young people develop obesity in this country. The major reason why children become overweight is a bad food diet, eating fast food and not exercising enough throughout the day. Today’s lifestyle and technology allows people to buy food quickly at local fast food places, it is quick, convenient and cheap. Most people do not have time to come home after all day at work and cook a fresh and healthy dinner for the family. It is easier to stop at “Kentucky Fried Chicken” for example and buy dinner for entire family for under $25 which is almost impossible to do at home. Access for children to fast food places is easier than ever before, and most beverages that young people drink contain High Fructose Corn Syrup that replaced sugar in the 1970’s but causes young people to gain weight as fast as sugar does. Biggest problem in childhood obesity is definitely the food choices that we make for us and our children but also we cannot forget about the lack of exercise, most people do not get enough exercise so they stay healthy and become over weight. Also school nutrition’s should be friendlier to healthy diets and fruits instead of vending machines. Childhood obesity is a growing problem in America and it seems that it is not going away but in fact it might get bigger in near future if we do not do anything about it. With better food choices, more exercise and help from the government we can overcome this growing epidemic in USA.…

    • 1991 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Obesity in America

    • 1811 Words
    • 8 Pages

    According to the book “Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence”, childhood obesity is a strong indicator of adulthood obesity (pg.50). If this continues to be a problem that corrupts our countries youth, then they will continue to carry these issues with them through adulthood, which is something we are already seeing. The people of our society and the nation’s performance when it comes to competing with other countries in the growing competition in the economy will ultimately pay the consequences.…

    • 1811 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    One in every four children and one in every three adults are obese in America. “A new study suggests that under-exercising, rather than overeating, may be at the heart of America's obesity epidemic.” Deborah Netburn, a science reporter for the Los Angeles Times writes. The number of exercising people has dropped over the years.“The researchers found that from 1988 to 2010, the percentage of adults who reported doing no exercise in their free time grew dramatically from 19% to 52% in women, and from 11% to 43% in men.” Netburn continues. Exercise is a key factor in obesity…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Teen Obesity

    • 1073 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Today families also exercise less, are watching more TV, gaming, and surfing the internet. According to the U.S. surgeon general, only about one-half of U.S. children get regular exercise, and one-fourth don’t take part in physical activity at all. As a result, obesity among children and adolescents has increased substantially since the 1960s. The convenience of modern life has created a nation of youthful couch potatoes.…

    • 1073 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics