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Home › Articles › Health › Hope for Overweight Teens

Hope for Overweight Teens

Putting an End to Childhood Obesity

By Kendeyl Johansen

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Neumark-Sztainer champions the need for effective weight control programs aimed at the prevention of obesity in children. She recently divided teens into several focus groups, asking hard questions such as: If you were designing a weight control program aimed at healthy weight control, healthy eating and increased exercise, what would you do? What activities? When? Where? She also asked if programs should include all kids or only overweight kids.

Teens across the board wanted fun, interactive activities -- such as in-line skating, aerobics and yoga -- within a supportive environment. They asked for physical fitness facilities and programs to be available both during and after school hours and requested appealing, healthy foods. The teenagers recommended focusing on a healthy lifestyle instead of specific weight issues and offering programs to all students, regardless of weight, to avoid stigmatizing those with a problem. But some students did express concern over differences in athletic ability and perceived embarrassment between overweight and normal-weight teens.

"The focus group data will help us in planning programs that meet the needs of teenagers with weight concerns," says Neumark-Sztainer. Indeed, many of the above suggestions were incorporated into the "New Moves" program, currently undergoing a pilot test in Minneapolis. "New Moves" aims to help overweight girls function in a society that values thinness, to avoid unhealthy weight control practices and to maintain healthy eating and exercise habits. Researchers have implemented the program for overweight girls only, and for girls of mixed weights to assess the advantages and disadvantages of both programs.

How can parents get local schools to start programs such as "New Moves"? "The program is now being studied," Neumark-Sztainer says. "We hope that in the future it will be available to all schools."

Margaret Roiniotis of Chicago wants to see a program such as "New Moves" available for her overweight 11-year-old daughter. A nutritionist spoke at Roiniotis' parent/teacher organization last year but she feels her daughter's school could do more to help. "I really think there could be programs developed for kids who have a difficult time with sports," she says. "Maybe yoga, or something where you don't have to be a major athlete to compete. My daughter has asthma and she used to like swimming, but she is too self-conscious about how she looks in a swimsuit to do it very often now."


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