Obesity

Abstract

Adolescence can be defined as the time period between the beginning of puberty and adulthood. This is a at a time when body image is crucial and people can be critical. The presence of an eating disorder in this important period can seriously hurt an adolescent physically as well as mentally. Although the tendency to leave out obesity when thinking about eating disorders, the most prevalent eating disorder is overeating, or binge-eating. There has been a huge increase in adolescent obesity over the past three decades and the numbers are still on the rise. With the exception of genetic inheritance, obese adolescents who constantly overeat could be due to social surroundings. This paper plans to demonstrate that family and friends play an essential role in the cycle of obesity, and they can either hinder or impede it. Also, a primary prevention strategy based on the social learning theory will be discussed and reviewed.

Obesity means having too much fat. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. The extra weight may come from muscles, bones, fats and/or body water. Obesity occurs over time when you eat more calories than you use. The balance between calories-in and calories-out differs for each person. Factors that may affect the balance include one’s genetic makeup, overeating, eating high-fat foods and not being physically active. Obesity has only recently been classified as an eating disorder. In the past, the word “obese” was simply used for labeling sake, but clearly serious implications are involved with the mental and physical health of the individual and more needs to be done. Currently, “the amount of obese people is still on the rise and about 23% of the North American population is clinically obese (Gullotta). Research shows that more than half of all North Americans are overweight. These numbers could rise since the younger population who are overweight could become obese later in life. Those in their adolescent...