Question 1:At which points in the developmental period are individuals at greatest risk for obesity? Are there differences across gender or ethnicity?
Obesity is defined by using Body Mass Index (BMI).It is a condition of excess body fat to the extent that health is impaired (WHO, 2008). According to NHANES data, youths and young adults are at great risk for obesity (Golden et al., 2015). From the research, trends in BMI in youths over the years since 1959 had a positive deviation. Young adults are the ones at risk of having obesity if they are not put under the control of diet and also be involved in healthy exercises ( Harris, Perreira & Lee, 2009 ). The obesity at the young age is transferable to the later adult age. When adolescents move out of their parents’ home they fail to understand the healthy eating techniques which lead to weight gain (Li et al., 2017). This calls for healthy eating and exercise training among the adolescence to curb the cases of obesity among the youths and young adults.
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The results by Lee also shows that the increase in BMI differed by not only age but also by gender. He concludes that young females add weight at higher rates that young males. This put the female at a higher rate of getting obese than boys. According to Li et al (2017) through examining age and period trends, they concluded that the most vulnerable stage in the life of an individual lies at the transition period from adolescence to adulthood. BMI gain during this period has a greater impact in adulthood. On the other hand, research for obesity in the terms of gender and ethnicity records that the black young female adults recorded a greater increase in BMI over time than white young female adults. Therefore, BMI varies across gender and ethnicity.
Question 2: Which contextual factors have the greatest influence on adolescent obesity risk and body image - individuals attitudes and behaviors, the social situation (especially peers), or the environment in which the adolescents live? Why?
Individual attitudes, behaviors, environment and peers have influence on the adolescent obesity risk and body image. The physical and social environments where individuals reside have the greatest influence in the observed greater increase in the BMI of black young female adults. This is caused by mainly by social forces in the surrounding. Such forces like unemployment, single motherhood may cause stress leading to poor health attitudes such as excess eating and physical inactivity ( Harris, Perreira & Lee, 2009 ). The situation should be intervened and medical care to be taken to ensure the cases are controlled through regular exercises and healthy diet practiced more so for the young female adults aged 33-37 years. Also, organizations should intervene the cases by sponsoring young adult games to control the situation.
References
Golden, N. H., Katzman, D. K., Sawyer, S. M., & Ornstein, R. M. (2015). Position paper of the society for adolescent health and medicine: medical management of restrictive eating disorders in adolescents and young adults references. Journal of Adolescent Health , 56 (1), 121-125.
Harris, K. M., Perreira, K. M., & Lee, D. (2009). Obesity in the transition to adulthood: predictions across race/ethnicity, immigrant generation, and sex. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine , 163 (11), 1022-1028.
Li, L., Wang, G., Li, N., Yu, H., Si, J., & Wang, J. (2017). Identification of key genes and pathways associated with obesity in children. Experimental and therapeutic medicine , 14 (2), 1065-1073.
World Health Organization. (2008). School policy framework: implementation of the WHO global strategy on diet, physical activity and health.
