Obesity affects teens' self-image

Brad Knickerbocker
knickebj@uwec.edu

      In the United States there exists a population of about 4 million 13 year olds, nearly 1,300 of whom live in Eau Claire County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

      There are about 260 obese 13 year olds in Eau Claire County alone, according to Diane Dressel, a licensed dietician and coordinator for the Weight Management Center at Luther Midelfort Hospital. There are also about 802,170 obese 13 year olds in the United States.

      “Obesity among adolescents has escalated nearly threefold in the last 20 years,” Dressel said. “This is a very alarming statistic because whereas past generations of overweight people start to hit health problems in their 40s or 50s, these kids are going see health problems start in their 20s and 30s.”

      According to Dressel, anywhere from 75 to 80 percent of U.S. citizens are currently overweight, while about 40 percent are considered obese.

      Even more alarming, say health care professionals, are the obesity statistics among children. In the last 22 years the prevalence of overweight children from 6-11 years old has more than doubled from 7 percent to 16 percent, according to the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

       Statistics reveal over the last two decades more and more children have become obese, and experts say that trend is only going to increase.

       For obese 13 year olds there is not only the threat of developing one or more of the 30 serious medical conditions the CDC associates with obesity, but harmful psychological affects can also be a threat for obese adolescents.

       National and local health professionals along with educators argue that not enough is being done about this national epidemic, but they all agree obesity must be moved to the forefront of the medical world before Americans literally eat themselves to death.

Read more about adolescent obesity on the American Obesity Association web site.

Learn more about promoting healthy lifestyles for adolescents.

Photo By: Brad Knickerbocker

Eighth graders from Northstar and Delong middle schools compete in a basketball game at Delong.

Listen to audio clips from interviews in this story:

Comments from Kaia Simon-Power, an eighth grade teacher at Delong Middle School

Megan Faanes, a 13 year old at Delong Middle School, discusses obesity

Continued on Page 2

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