Obesity is not just being overweight. Obesity in Arizona has been a big social issue for teen health. It is not only body health, but also mental health. Teen mentoring was an effective and efficacious approach to impact the lifestyle patterns and health outcomes of children in a school setting (Smith, Laureen H; Holloman, Christopher). Furthermore, it could be an issue in teens' future careers in society. How can we solve the issue of teen obesity in our society? We should solve these problems together. In United States, 31.3% of children (10-17 ages) are overweight or obese. In Arizona's teens obese is 36.7% (Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative). It indicates that many teens are obese. Also, we can assume that it is a social problem. Obesity rates in the United States have been rising over the past 35 years, resulting in a subsequent increase in nutrition-related chronic disease morbidity and mortality and significant burdens to families, communities, and health care systems. In working to formulate effective public health policy solutions that address the obesity epidemic, it is important to analyze how obesity has been defined and accepted as a social problem (Morgan C. Smith, RN). Teens are our future so they should be healthy. Combating teen obesity is crucial. In order to do so, we must combat high fat fast food, emotional stress and lack of exercise in teens.
There are many causes of obesity in teens. For instance, teenagers have more opportunity to sit many hours in front of TVs and video games and ride in cars rather than walk. This is especially true for short distances in Arizona because there is not as much public transportation as in other states. For example, the habit of hopping in the car to give the children a ride to a destination just a short distance away plays a role in creating a context in which the child thinks of riding rather than walking as the primary - or only - means of transportation, no matter how short the distance.