The adolescent obesity epidemic: why, how long, and what to do about it.
The epidemic of obesity among adolescents is a serious public health concern. If the epidemic is not reversed, millions of youth will be affected, and the nation will be left to face the staggering health and economic consequences of obesity. The burden of obesity is disproportionately borne by nonwhite and low-income youth and by people in the rural, Southern regions of the United States. Effective obesity interventions designed to establish healthy eating and activity behaviors are needed; however, it is unlikely that such efforts will be sufficient. The public health response to obesity should be broad-based and target corrective changes in the eating and activity environments of youth.
Larson
Nicole
N
Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 South Second Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA. larsonn@umn.edu
Story
Mary
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D001628:Beverages / Q000009:adverse effects; D003256:Community Participation / Q000379:methods; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004777:Environment; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015444:Exercise; D005190:Family; D005638:Fruit; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D015995:Prevalence; D024382:Professional Role; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012147:Restaurants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools / Q000458:organization & administration; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014675:Vegetables