Teenagers often face constant peer pressure to be or do certain things to fit in. in an article from the Washington Post the article suggests that peer pressure can carry a great weight in girls eating and exercise habits and often a pressure to be or look a certain way. The teenage years, is the time when their “awareness is increased regarding figure, weight, image and good looks”. This is also a period when a lot of teenagers facing peer pressure, try fad diets to lose weight or don’t eat food at all. The teenage years are the time of rapid growth and development. There is a need for proper balanced diets and adequate nutritional intake is very important during these years of development. During puberty and teenager years, there is a demand for calories by the body due to increase physical activity and metabolic rate in this group. In a report from the United States Department of AgricultureCenter for Nutrition Policy and Promotion in April 2005 they recommend the average calorie intake for a non obese or overweight girl ranging in age from 13 to 18 needs 2000 and 2400 calories daily.
The article suggests that there are 5 percent of teens who suffer from eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia is when you don’t eat and bulimia is when you eat then purge. The article explains that “teen girls have concerns about their own weight, about how they appear to others and their perceptions that their peers want them to be thin are significantly related to weight control behavior” says psychologist Eleanor Mackey, a doctor at Children’s National Medical Center who was the head of the study. The media related world plays a big part in these children’s perceptions of how they are supposed to look and their friends want them to be the same way because most teens are in cliques. Other studies have found that the cliques which who the teen can identify with can affect if they choose to smoke, drink or take drugs. Teen’s friends can often influence them to be or act like them.
Even though there are pressure to be thin there is also a large number which doubled than the amount of people who are suffering from an eating disorder. There is an estimate of almost a third of young people are overweight, and almost 16 percent are obese according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Being obese places children at in increased risk for a number of health problems including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
The article suggests that there are 5 percent of teens who suffer from eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia is when you don’t eat and bulimia is when you eat then purge. The article explains that “teen girls have concerns about their own weight, about how they appear to others and their perceptions that their peers want them to be thin are significantly related to weight control behavior” says psychologist Eleanor Mackey, a doctor at Children’s National Medical Center who was the head of the study. The media related world plays a big part in these children’s perceptions of how they are supposed to look and their friends want them to be the same way because most teens are in cliques. Other studies have found that the cliques which who the teen can identify with can affect if they choose to smoke, drink or take drugs. Teen’s friends can often influence them to be or act like them.
Even though there are pressure to be thin there is also a large number which doubled than the amount of people who are suffering from an eating disorder. There is an estimate of almost a third of young people are overweight, and almost 16 percent are obese according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Being obese places children at in increased risk for a number of health problems including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Images are from flickr.com/photos/merwing/1570691529/ and
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