Answer

Obesity among Teenagers 13-19 Years in UK

Introduction

• In the UK, the prevalence of obesity among deprived school going children is 12% compared to 6.6% among school going children (National Health Service, 2014).
• National obesity projections for obesity will be 11% and 23% of males aged 11-15 years will be obese in 2025 and 2050, respectively (GlaIntelligence Unit, 2011).
• National obesity projections for obesity will be15% and 25% of males aged under 20 years will be obese in 2025 and 2050, respectively (GlaIntelligence Unit, 2011).
• National obesity projections for obesity will be 22% and 35% of females aged 11-15 years will be obese in 2025 and 2050, respectively (GlaIntelligence Unit, 2011).
• National obesity projections for obesity will be15% and 25% of females aged under 20 years will be obese in 2025 and 2050, respectively (GlaIntelligence Unit, 2011).

Overcoming Teenage Obesity

Strategies

• To conduct public education programs and increase public awareness about obesity to enable families and individuals to take responsibility of their health to help achieve and maintain healthy weights (Health and Wellbeing Board, 2016).
• To identify and address disparities that put families and individuals at risk of developing obesity or unhealthy weights (Health and Wellbeing Board, 2016).
• To make adoption of active lifestyles and healthy eating or dietary habits an attractive and easier choice for all (Health and Wellbeing Board, 2016).
• Ensuring that the built as well as the natural environment supports families and individuals to become more active and healthy (Health and Wellbeing Board, 2016).
• Adolescents need to engage in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity or physical exercises for a minimum of 60 minutes per day (National Health Service, 2019).
• Only 18% of young people and children have satisfied the current recommendation for engaging in physical activity for at least 60 minutes per day (National Health Service, 2019).
• Children and young people should be encourage to participate in sporting activities (National Health Service, 2019).
• Increased fruit and vegetable consumption (National Health Service, 2019).
• A minimum of 5 portions of vegetables and fruits per day (>10 years).
• Pharmacotherapy: Since 2010, Orlistat remains the sole drug that is recommended and available in the UK for management of obesity (National Health Service, 2019).
• Orlistat mechanism of action is in reduction of the absorption efficiency of dietary fats (National Health Service, 2019).
• The drug should be used together with other interventions such as dietary strategies and physical activity for achievement of better outcomes (National Health Service, 2019).
• Sibutramine, a drug that works by suppressing appetite, was withdrawn by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and suspended by the European Medicine Agency in 2010 since it was associated with adverse cardiovascular effects (Ells et al., 2018).

References

• Ells, L. J., Rees, K., Brown, T., Mead, E., Al-Khudairy, L., Azevedo, L., McGeechan, G. J., Baur, L., Loveman, E., Clements, H., Rayco-Solon, P., Farpour-Lambert, N., & Demaio, A. (2018). Interventions for treating children and adolescents with overweight and obesity: an overview of Cochrane reviews. International Journal of Obesity, 42, 1823-1833. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41366-018-0230-y
• GlaIntelligence Unit. (April 2011). Childhood obesity in London. https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/gla_migrate_files_destination/glae-childhood-obesity.pdf
• Health and Wellbeing Board. (2016). Healthy weight strategy 2016-2020. Retrieved on Mar 05, 2020 from, https://www.lbbd.gov.uk/sites/default/files/attachments/Healthy-Weight-Strategy.pdf
• House of Commons. (August 06, 2019). Obesity statistics. Briefing Paper, number 3336. http://www.parliament.uk/commons-library
• Menon, S., Philipneri, A., Ratnasingham, S., & Manson, H. (2019). The integrated role of multiple healthy weight behaviours on overweight and obesity among adolescents: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 19, https://dx.doi.org/10.1186%2Fs12889-019-7007-7
• National Health Service. (December 04, 2014).National child measurement programme – England, 2013-14. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/national-child-measurement-programme/2013-14-school-year
• National Health Service. (May 08, 2019). Statistics on obesity, physical activity and diet, England, 2019. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/statistics-on-obesity-physical-activity-and-diet/statistics-on-obesity-physical-activity-and-diet-england-2019/part-2-prescription-items-for-the-treatment-of-obesity