Have you ever thought about how you react when you read or hear about a teenager committing suicide or teens killed in an accident due to drunk driving? Do you have the same reaction seeing an overweight teenager? Why not? As we stand by and watch, 33% of our children are facing an early death due to obesity. Are we helping them die early? Should we not consider this a slow assisted suicide? That may sound harsh, but the epidemic of teenage obesity is a harsh reality.

Isn’t it amazing how many of us go through life acting as if we are always going to have good health? How much health knowledge or ramifications from the lack of knowledge has been passed on to the current generation of teenagers?

Looking back over many generations of teens, there has always been a false sense of immunity and even more prevalent, the feeling we will live forever. Even as adults, how many go through life as if their bodies will withstand anything?

One day you wake up and realize that wonderful body of yours is starting to betray you. What seems to be “all of a sudden”, your body starts talking back with illness, pain and fatigue. The reality is the process has been slow. The question is; has our body betrayed us or have we betrayed our body? Have we taken far too much for granted regarding what our body needs to be healthy? How much of this type of behavior and betrayal are we passing on to future generations?

In an age where we have knowledge at our fingertips, many have been quoted as saying that the teenagers of today will be the first generation whose life expectancy will be shorter than their parents.

An eye-opening article dated 23 Aug 2008 by James Kirkup, Political Correspondent for a British newspaper says, “A “forgotten generation” of teenagers is suffering the catastrophic health effects of obesity, drugs, drink and casual sex, according to research released today.” Kirkup, referring to teenagers in Britain, goes on to say, “this is a “timebomb” of health problems that will do lasting harm to a generation and place mounting pressure on the health system.”

As an American, I could easily ignore the above statement because, of course, this “forgotten generation” is only in Britain. Not so, and all any American has to do is go to any High School in the country and look around. Kirkup also reports,” In 2006-07, a third of children turning 13 were obese or overweight. The data suggest that some social and health problems are growing fastest among younger teenagers.”