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. It is not only scary, it is sad. 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.” These numbers are alarming and to date have only continued to rise.

With all the fast and frozen foods available, we are actually helping many of our young men and women kill themselves. Take a trip to your community high school. How many vending machines do you see? What products are in those machines? I know many school officials will tell you the vending machines help to support band programs, sports programs and other activities. Let’s take a look at this picture for a moment; we now push junk food on our teenagers so we can make money the easy way to support school programs, rather than through creative thinking and a little work.

Who really is responsible for this new generation of obese teens? What is going to happen to our health systems and insurance premiums when these teens become adults? Most of all; what health issues are these teens going to have as young adults?

At an amazing rate, illnesses, such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol and cancer are striking our young people. Obesity is also a factor in emotional and physiological problems, as well as infertility. In many schools, children line up at the nurse’s office for their medications for illnesses that in previous generations were almost non-existent.

Regarding the health of many generations to come; continuing in the direction we are now going can only result in many illnesses occurring at earlier ages, therefore resulting in shortened life spans.

Where do we go from here? I believe it has to start at home. Educating ourselves and our family on proper nutrition and exercise is the key to reversing what could be the early death of our children and grandchildren. We owe it to ourselves and our families to start making changes to reverse this deadly trend that will swallow up our teenagers.

For far too long, because of the non-stop, over-stressed world of today, parents have relied on schools to provide the education needed in some of the most important areas of children’s lives. Unfortunately, one of these areas is the importance of proper nutrition and living a healthy lifestyle. We now have many parents who need educated, with their children, in many important health and life issues. As teenagers, parents and grandparents we can work hard to change this cycle, rescuing teens of today and changing this downward spiral for generations to come?

We need to start today to make changes in our lives and the lives of our families. Try starting with a few small changes at a time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has excellent resources, including a body mass index calculator. Referred to as BMI, body mass index is an indicator of body fatness for most people. This is a great tool to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems. The following are two great resources:

• http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmi-m.htm
• http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/index.htm

Sit down with your family and talk about what our bodies need to be healthy and what changes you can implement as a family. Use the BMI tool to calculate body fatness and determine each person’s risks. Involve everyone in exercise and the preparation of food. Learn about the advantages of whole foods and liquid supplementation.

Most of all make it fun. If any one in your family is obese or suffers an illness, such as diabetes; make it a family project to help that individual obtain all the goals needed to keep them healthy and active. What better way to bring a family closer than to unite to help another family member obtain their health goals. What a win-win situation! Small steps can make a huge difference.

There are many health conscious people today. If you fall into that group; open your heart and reach out to an individual, a group or a family to help them attain their health goals. One thing to always remember, no matter who we are or where we live, there are teenagers around us who are obese. This is an epidemic. With love and compassion, knowledge and awareness, one person or one family at a time, we can make a major impact on the lives of today’s teens and the many generations of teens to come. What are we waiting for?

I not only welcome, but would appreciate your comments and any steps you have taken to combat obesity through proper nutrition and education.