Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

New Study: Teen Obesity Caused By Eating Too Much Food

I kid you not.

The new study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health was conducted to investigate the role of exercise in teen obesity. The researchers found that the amount of teen exercise has remained stable over the past two decades, and thus concluded that the lack of exercise hasn't been the cause of the increase of obesity. Food consumption is the culprit. Except when you also take into account that the study found in 2007, only 34.7% of teens met federal physical activity recommendations, which call for activity strenuous enough to cause heavy breathing for a total of an hour a day for five or more days a week.

So, the study suggests that increased food consumption and lack of adequate exercise might both interact to contribute to teen obesity.

Wow. Aren't you glad we have scientific research to explain this?

It's no surprise that obesity rates among U.S. youngsters have skyrocketed, tripling from 1976 to 2004. Public-health experts and obesity researchers attribute the trend in part to kids' increasingly sedentary lifestyles. As teens spend more and more time anchored before a screen — burning fewer and fewer calories each day — they're storing more of that unused energy as fat. Hence, the ballooning rates of obesity.

That's precisely why the findings of a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health came as such a surprise. The report, published last week in the journal Obesity Reviews, finds that the amount of physical activity among U.S. teens has not in fact changed significantly over the past two decades, even while that population has gotten heavier. "On the one hand, we have seen the obesity-prevalence increase, but we don't see a decrease in physical activity," says Dr. Youfa Wang, an associate professor at the Center for Human Nutrition at Hopkins and lead author of the study. "This suggests that physical activity is not a good explanation for the increase in prevalence of obesity."

In simple terms, body weight is a reflection of the balance between two variables: the calories a body takes in and the calories it burns off. As far as the average U.S. teen is concerned, the study suggests, the culprit behind weight gain is not a decrease in exercise but an increase in consumption. Of course, that doesn't mean teens are getting adequate exercise: Wang analyzed data from nearly 16,000 high school students between the ages of 15 and 18, who took part in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's longitudinal Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey, about their physical activity. He and his team found that in 2007, only 34.7% of teens met federal physical activity recommendations, which call for activity strenuous enough to cause heavy breathing for a total of an hour a day for five or more days a week.

But the survey also found that teens' overall rate of daily exercise had not changed much since 1991, when the study sample was first asked to report their participation in gym classes in school and their level of physical activity at home.

So does this mean that exercise isn't important in controlling weight? As tempting as that conclusion might be, Wang and other health experts say that's not exactly what the new data show. The findings may say less about the role of exercise by itself than about the other variable in the weight equation — diet — and the interaction of the two.

Source: Time
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1936777,00.html

Teenage Girls 'Living on One Meal a Day'

Teenage girls are regularly skipping up to two meals a day because they think they are overweight, according to a new UK survey examining children's lives.

One in 10 girls aged 14 and 15 often go without both breakfast and lunch, the poll found.

A quarter (26 per cent) of them frequently skip breakfast and 22 per cent routinely pass on lunch.

The survey, by the UK Schools Health Education Unit, also found that most teenage girls believe they are overweight, even when they are not.

Even among younger girls, those aged 10 and 11, 40 per cent thought they needed to lose weight.
Breakfast appears to be the meal that is most often missed, despite the old adage that it is the most important meal in the day.

While 26 per cent of 14 and 15-year-old girls said they often missed it, the problem appears to start at a younger age, with 20 per cent of 12 and 13-year-olds going without, and seven per cent of 10 and 11-year-olds.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6313715/Teenage-girls-living-on-one-meal-a-day.html

Will "Blow" Become Trendy?

Gee, look what some marketers have come up with for the latest energy drink being promoted on social networking sites popular with teens.

If it looks like cocaine, is packaged like cocaine, and causes the user to feel strange and energized like cocaine, is it cocaine? No, it's the latest energy drink called Blow and it's quickly causing controversy.

The energy drink mix, which is sold in a small vial, is measured in grams, just like the actual drug. As if that weren't enough, a small mirror is also included in the package so the energy deprived can grind the rocks into a fine powder.

Pour the Blow in your water bottle and you'll be flying high on caffeine. One vial contains 240mg of caffeine and 200mg of Taurine, which is equivalent to 2 Red Bulls and 3 cups of coffee. Essentially it's an all-nighter in a small and convenient package.

However, experts are concerned that this may be too much for the average person to handle. It is still unclear how this new product will affect different individuals. While it may provide energy for some, others could get sick. One of the main concerns is its potential effect on children and pregnant women.

While the manufacturer says that only those 18 and older are allowed to buy Blow, the website where the product is sold does not enforce age restrictions. Furthermore, the creators of Blow are utilizing social networking sites that are popular with teens, such as MySpace and YouTube, as a key component in their marketing and publicity strategy.

Source: NBC Los Angeles
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/health/Is-Blow-the-Latest-Trend-63322917.html

Kids Eating Better at Fast Food Restaurants

New data from Chicago market research firm NPD Group suggests that the eating habits of American children while at fast food restaurants are changing for the better.

Chicken nuggets, burgers, fries and colas remain popular with the under-13 set, of course. But consumption of these foods at restaurants is declining, while soup, yogurt, fruit, grilled chicken and chocolate milk are on the rise.

The new data suggest that a number of factors, from the economic downturn to new offerings from fast-food giants, may be influencing a general shift in eating preferences among children.

Among the losers in the year ending March 31 were colas (down 10 percent), chicken nuggets and strips (8 percent), French fries (7 percent) and hot dogs (6 percent). Winners included soup (29 percent), grilled chicken sandwiches (26 percent), yogurt (21 percent), carrots (9 percent) and fruit (6 percent).

Even pizza is losing favor. While it is still the most popular food for children in quick-service restaurants, its year-to-year growth is flat, according to NPD. And in full-service restaurants, it has been replaced by pasta as the most popular food among children.

Source: New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/health/16well.html?_r=1&ref=science

Children With Low Self-Control Face Weight Issues As Preeteens

These findings may provide parents with some motivation to teach their children self-control skills, including those which focus on delayed gratification.

Young children who do not display an ability to regulate their behavior or to delay gratification in exchange for a larger reward appear predisposed to gain extra weight by their pre-teen years, according to two reports published in the April issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

In both studies, children were tested in self-control skills. Those who were unable to regulate their behavior had the highest body mass index (BMI) scores for their age at 12 years and the most rapid increases in BMI over the nine-year follow-up.

Children who displayed a limited ability to delay gratification were 29 percent more likely to be overweight at age 11. The association was partially explained by mothers' weight status. "The influence of maternal weight status on child weight reflects genetic as well as environmental factors, such as feeding patterns and availability of food," the authors write.

Source: EurekAlert!
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-04/jaaj-cwl040209.php

Family Meals Encourage Healthy Teen Eating Habits

Perhaps we might file this post under the category of "overlooking the obvious." For some years now, studies have reported the benefits of regular family mealtimes, most notably that these result in lower rates of teen involvement in risky behaviors. A new study reveals a new benefit, the elephant in the room, so to speak. Regular family mealtimes encourages healthy teen eating habits. Duh. When kids eat more meals at home, they get better nutrition overall.

Parents wanting to instill good eating habits in their children, particularly teenagers, should make sure they eat meals together.

In one of the first long-term studies to look at the benefits of family meals, researchers at the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota found that family meals have a big impact on adolescents because they encourage healthy eating habits and good nutritional choices.

"These findings suggest that having regular family meals during the transition from early to middle adolescence positively impacts the development of healthful behaviors for youth," said Teri L. Burgess-Champoux, who worked on the study.

"The importance of incorporating shared mealtime experiences on a consistent basis during this key developmental period should be emphasized to parents, healthcare providers and educators."

Children who ate five or more meals a week together as a family in both early and middle adolescence ate healthier meals with plenty of vegetables and foods rich in calcium, fiber and minerals five years later.

Source: Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE5296CE20090310