The number of obese people has reached 1 billion, and 340 million adolescents out of this substantial number carry this complex disease. 

According to Rachel Fadem in CNN, Journal Pediatrics published the research regarding children’s obesity on the 5th of July, 2022. 

They took representatives from two nationality groups around ages 6 to 11, dividing them into two groups.

The first group was studied from 1998 to 2004, and the second group was from 2010 to 2016. 

The results were shocking: in group 2, approximately 16% of students who did not become obese at the start of age six were carried out at the end of fifth grade (age 11). 

And the percentage has increased from Group 1’s results, which started in 1998. 

The research and its conclusion shed light on the increasing proportion of children who carry obesity.

Even though the global economy is steadily increasing every year, and if there tends to be a decrease in the world poverty rate, why is there an increase in children’s obesity rate?

Multiple reasons lead to teenage obesity; even doctors do not yet fully understand how the body controls  fat and weight.

However, there are few apparent accounts for general obesity.

First, a child’s diet style can increase the risk of being overweight. 

Carbohydrates are an essential source of respiration in people’s bodies, stimulating energy production. 

Nevertheless, whenconsumed in excess amounts or a state of processed carbohydrates, it is very likely to cause a large metabolic load inside the body. 

This is due to a high sugar level inside our body which eventually invigorates fat production and inflammation, increasing overall calorie intake and lowering insulin sensitivity. 

Furthermore, lack of exercise also contributes to childhood obesity.

Exercise - an activity requiring physical effort to sustain or improve health and fitness - has its role to burn calories and increase total energy expenditure, which helps them stay balanced. 

Without proper physical activities in daily life, the development of abdominal obesity is promoted together with increased waist size and risk of further severe heart diseases such as Coronary Heart Disease(CHD). 

Finally, Socioeconomic factors account for teenage obesity. 

Children or teenagers from low-income classes lack access to healthy foods or public supermarkets, increasing the tendency to consume more instant foods than others. 

The “fast-cook” products, aim to suffice momentary hunger quickly, do not comprise adequate nutrients.

Also, some food containers release harmful hormones throughout cooking, which is detrimental to teenagers’ health. 

For instance, cup noodles containers have emerged as an issue in Korea with chemicals detected. 

These insufficient amounts of nourishment and detrimental substances can cause not only obesity but stimulate further health problems. 

Then how can people prevent teenagers or children from obesity?

The methods are clear and simple: exercise, eat healthy foods, and sleep well. 

If people are available with a healthy meal in their home, choose substitutions for snacks!

Air-popped popcorns, low-fat yogurts, and milk or even fruits with lower levels of sugars, salts, and fats avert the build of calories or sugars inside the body. 

This will not just prevent obesity or other diseases but make the body feel lighter.

In addition, make a plan for exercises during free time. 

Just step outside from your bed or sofa, go out to a nearby park and jog with a timer. 

Enjoy the blissful view of the river, grass, or nature. 

Finally, sleep well. 

Sleep deprivation can lead to an imbalance in endocrine patterns, increasing appetite for incentive foods.

About 1 billion people all around the world have obesity.

And now, the bound for obesity has extended to teenagers. 

Everyone can certainly avoid it by conducting healthy life patterns. 

Chaewon Han
Year 11
North London Collegiate School Jeju