Even before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, things were not going well with Polish teenagers. The combination of poor diet and limited amount of exercise led to overweight or obesity. Over the last two years, the problem has only worsened, as Medicover specialists are alarming.
- Research conducted by the Medicover Foundation shows that after the pandemic, 24,3 percent girls and 29,5 percent. boys are overweight or obese
- This trend is highly worrying, because serious civilization diseases go hand in hand with extra kilos, such as e.g. type 2 diabetes
- The causes of weight problems in adolescents can be multiple. This includes environmental factors
- More current information can be found on the Onet homepage
Agnieszka Mazur-Puchała, Medonet: Even before the pandemic, Polish teenagers were struggling with overweight, some of them were diagnosed with obesity. What were the numbers? To what extent has this phenomenon increased after the period of remote lessons and isolation?
From the recently published research carried out by the Medicover Foundation as part of the PoZdro! (covering 19 thousand. 634 teenagers aged 12-14, from four cities in Poland, in the years 2013-2020) shows that 24,7% boys and 18,6 percent. girls were overweight or obese, in 2 thousand 886 cases of BMI ≥90th percentile. This number is shocking, and the problem of excess body weight concerns an increasing group of teenagers.
Remote learning and isolation related to the coronavirus pandemic have certainly not been conducive to changing this trend for the better. Before the pandemic, participants of the program declared their activity mainly during physical education lessons. When they were gone, many people didn’t move at all. There was also no such everyday movement as moving from home to school or from class to class. Less exercise translated into weight gain and weaker physical performance.
Results similar to PoZdro! program called “Eat with your head”, implemented by the Medicover Foundation in Lublin after the pandemic, indicate an even higher percentage of overweight and obese children: 24,3 percent. girls and 29,5 percent. boys.
Why is adolescent obesity such a serious problem? What are the dangers?
Child and adolescent obesity is very worrying as it is a predictor of adult obesity. The longer this condition persists, the greater the risk of developing lifestyle diseases: type 2 diabetes, heart and circulatory system diseases, and some cancers. The mental sphere should not be forgotten either – obesity often leads to low self-esteem, eating disorders, relationship disorders and depression. We shape most of our habits during adolescence, including those related to nutrition and physical activity. The sooner we introduce the correct habits to the life of the whole family, the better start in adulthood we will provide.
What are the causes of such massive weight problems in teenage Poles?
Childhood obesity is a complex problem and its causes are multifaceted. What the Medicover Foundation focuses on when implementing Preventive Programs is, above all, a healthy lifestyle: proper nutrition and an adequate amount of physical activity. The energy balance must come to zero.
The environment we live in has changed a lot. We have become a society of three seats – armchair at home, school / work and in the car. With this state of affairs, the expenditure of energy through movement is very small, and unfortunately, this is followed by extra kilos. Of course, what we eat is also important. Meals prepared at home from ingredients we know will always serve us better than ready-made fast food dishes. And let’s not forget about the water!
Are any children more predisposed to obesity than others? Is it influenced by gender and family situation?
The risk of obesity in children is related to many factors: genetic, environmental and economic conditions – e.g. whether the family has the means to eat healthier, but often more expensive, physical activity, but most of all to the behaviors and habits acquired in the family and among peers and at school. Psychological factors, stress and insufficient sleep also play a very important role. However, improper diet and lack of exercise are of major importance for the development of obesity. In addition to the high percentage of obesity, in the research of the PoZdro! it turned out that as much as 41,7 percent. boys and 35,4 percent. girls have poor and very poor physical performance.
Obesity is a disease, not a mere neglect, so pressing a child to “do something to himself” is not the solution. How should parents of adolescents with obesity act then? Where to go for help, how to talk to your child? How to support them?
In the PoZdro! The method of small steps and regularity proved to be successful. Change shouldn’t turn life upside down. The participants of the program were in the process of change for the whole two years! During that time, they had eight meetings with specialists – a doctor, dietitian, trainer and psychologist. Working with an interdisciplinary team is a great asset, because we approach the problem of excess body weight holistically. The participant receives knowledge, tools for its implementation and support. However, the team of specialists alone does not guarantee success – it is also important to involve the participant, his parents, siblings – the whole family.
Change is not easy. There will be ups and downs. It is important to have someone to lean on and keep trying. What we are very striving for is that the child’s environment speaks about a healthy lifestyle with one voice – at home, at school and among peers. It is a difficult path, but it seems to be becoming more and more possible.
Obesity requires professional treatment. The process of losing weight, however, can be supported, e.g. with a mixture of herbs for obesity available at Medonet Market.
They were talking:
Piotr Soszyński, MD, PhD, Director of the Strategic Department of Medical Advisory Medicover in Poland
Agnieszka Skowrońska, Head of the Team of Preventive Programs of the Medicover Foundation
Are you looking for an effective and safe method of epilation? Go for a skin revitalizing epilator. You can find this model in Medonet Market.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to ecology. How to be eco and not go crazy? How can we care for our planet on a daily basis? What and how to eat? You will hear about this and many other topics related to ecology in the new episode of our podcast.