Obesity and its Consequences among Adolescents

Abstract

Obesity is a serious health problem with an increased prevalence over the past 20 years. Overweight and obesity represents a rapidly growing risk to the health of the population including children and adolescents in many developed countries worldwide. Adolescence is a crucial phase for growth and many serious diseases in adulthood have their roots in teenage. Studies suggest that a lack of awareness about obesity among children is one of the prominent causes of childhood obesity. This can lead to a multitude of chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease. Likewise, childhood and adolescent obesity results in psychosocial consequences such as deterioration in cognitive abilities, school performance and quality of life, compounded by stigma, discrimination, and bullying. Studies that employed nutritional education as an intervention strategy have reported an improvement in nutritional knowledge, attitudes and eating habits, as well as decrease in obesity. Therefore, this review aims to sensitize and draw attention to the understanding of obesity and overweight. For this article, various studies related to obesity in adolescents were reviewed. The study has generated baseline information for those who are interested to work and promote health and positive development of adolescents.