Childhood Obesity Prevention in Adolescents

Abstract

Childhood obesity is a significant health concern and has become a global health problem. The problem of childhood obesity is a public health challenge that requires prompt intervention. The estimated number of overweight children is over 42 million with a continuous increase in the number of cases and has tripled since the 1970s [1]. The prevalence of obesity is high among children of low socioeconomic background and is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and certain cancers [2]. Adolescents who are obese often develop a tendency to participate in sedentary activities and are disengaged from high levels of physical activity. Childhood obesity places a considerable amount of pressure on the national health budget [3]. A literature review was conducted on childhood obesity and factors that could impact the growing problem. The findings from the literature review revealed that decreasing the amount of food consumption, increasing physical activity, and reducing the number of hours spent engaged in sedentary activities such as playing video games or watching television contributes to obesity prevention. The implementation of interventions by educating adolescents on healthy eating and engaging in physical activity is critical to obesity prevention. The results of the study revealed that a decrease in caloric intake and an increase in physical activity are significant to obesity prevention. A paired t-test was performed to compare the weight of the adolescents before and after the activities. The results showed that there is a significant difference in weight loss (p=0.001) after the interventions. This project is an evidence-based practice proposal on developing strategies to promote adherence to behavioral changes for childhood obesity prevention in adolescents.