The obesity rate among Taiwanese junior high school students is as high as 30.6%! Doctor: 80% of people fear that they will become obese as adults, revealing three major obstacles to weight loss among teenagers
The obesity rate among Taiwanese junior high school students is as high as 30.6%! A 13-year-old boy was diagnosed with fatty liver
Obesity is closely related to metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and even cancer, and is one of the most important health crises in contemporary society. Currently, more than 1.9 billion people worldwide are in the “overweight” range, including 340 million children and adolescents. In Taiwan, according to statistics from the Taiwan Health Promotion Administration, the overweight and obesity rate among junior high school students and high school students is as high as 30.6% and 28.9% among high school students, meaning that 1 in 3 teenagers is overweight. The causes and improvement methods of overweight among teenagers must be considered from many aspects including family environment, social type and psychological factors during the growth stage. Parents should be alert to their children’s weight figures, seek early consultation and seek appropriate treatment.
“The prevalence of obesity among adolescents is so high, but it is rare to see parents bringing their children for medical treatment!” Dr. Colin Jie-chung, director of the Faculty Training Department of the Teaching Department of Taichung Veterans General Hospital and pediatric hepatobiliary and gastroenterologist, pointed out that many parents think that when their children grow up, Naturally, body shape will increase. In fact, nearly 80% of obese teenagers will become obese in adulthood, and they will have a higher risk of death in adulthood.
Dr. Lin Jiezhong said that in the past, he had treated a 13-year-old boy who had low self-esteem due to obesity and large breasts. His parents thought it was precocious puberty and sought medical treatment. Only then did they discover that the student had abnormal liver function, mild fatty liver, and even mild hepatitis due to excessive obesity. Liver Fibrosis. Obesity not only affects appearance, self-confidence and social interaction, but may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in the future. How to improve the correct understanding of obesity among teenagers and parents, and then effectively implement weight management is the key to changing the obesity problem among teenagers.
Why do teenagers fail to lose weight? Investigation reveals the key “2 no and 1 no”
In order to understand the current situation of adolescent obesity in the real world, the “ACTION Teens” survey covering 10 countries around the world, interviewing 550 obese adolescents, 550 caregivers and parents, and 210 medical staff conducted a 5-month survey. The analysis found that the key factors that make it difficult for teenagers to lose weight are “2 not and 1 inability”, including inconsistent motivation, incorrect access to weight loss information, and the inability to eat less and move more.
The “ACTION Teens” survey shows that the main motivation for teenagers to lose weight is for health, confidence and vitality, but parents believe that teenagers lose weight just to fit into smaller clothes, and are dissatisfied with their weight. Want to have a more toned body. Medical staff believe that self-confidence and popularity are the motivations for teenagers to lose weight. The gap in opinions on the motivations of teenagers to lose weight is evident.
“The different motivations of parents, teenagers and medical staff may lead to the importance of weight loss being ignored!” Dr. Lin Jiezhong, the first author of the study, pointed out that the most commonly used weight loss information channels for parents of obese teenagers are search engines and social media. , the situation of teenagers is similar. However, there are often erroneous information in the Internet world, which may prevent growing children from losing weight and end up harming their health.
In the questionnaire, teenagers said that the influence of being unable to overcome appetite is as high as 25%, the fondness for unhealthy diet is also 25%, and the dislike of exercise is also 22%. It can be seen that appetite, diet, and exercise are the biggest obstacles for teenagers to lose weight. Dr. Lin Jiezhong reminds that some children may become fatter as they move more, because they will get hungry when they exercise, and they will eat when they are hungry. Coupled with academic pressure, it is difficult for teenagers to have enough time to exercise. Teenagers and parents should receive appropriate consultation to adjust their lifestyle. And introduce the correct way to maintain weight.
Parents should take the initiative to talk to their children about weight management and make good use of the BMI computer
Dr. Lin Jiezhong said that due to the influence of social patterns and westernized diet, more and more teenagers may face difficulties in weight management. In 2023, the American Academy of Pediatrics pointed out in its latest treatment guidelines that children over 6 years old who are significantly obese need to receive lifestyle management. The guidelines also mentioned for the first time that adolescents over 12 years old can use medication-assisted treatment.
Dr. Lin Jiezhong pointed out that the weight management drugs currently approved for adolescents in Taiwan mainly include oral oil-removing drugs and once-daily GLP-1 enterocrine injection drugs. The former mechanism is to reduce fat in food through intestinal digestion and absorption, while the latter is to reduce appetite and reduce fat mass to reduce weight.
Director Lin Jiezhongke encouraged medical staff and parents to take the initiative to talk to their children about weight management and the various life situations they face. They can also check the weight figures from the school’s health examination report. If they are overweight or obviously obese, they should actively deal with it. When a child’s BMI exceeds the 85th percentile for the age group, the child is overweight, and when it exceeds the 95th percentile, the child is obese. It is recommended to use the Taiwan Health Promotion Administration’s “Children and Youth Edition BMI Calculator” to determine the child’s BMI. Postural condition.
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