Introduction
Obesity is one of the central issues in the United States, affecting all human developmental phases. Every social worker can face obesity as a direct or indirect cause of various societal problems. Some people struggle with job employment, discrimination, or mental health disorders, and social work professionals can better understand the basement of such consequences. Most societal issues impact human experience and identity formation. Obesity is indeed a serious problem but the wish to solve it must come from individual reflections, not external oppression. Making humans of a larger size feel comfortable and fully accepted in society can be the first step in problem-solving. Then, obese and overweight persons can feel calm and appreciated the way they are. Further solutions to weight loss are their personal decisions that can be interconnected with healthy lifestyle education at schools and universities. Every human has a right to be an equal part of the community and feel accepted, not oppressed or shamed. The social worker should be the bridge uniting obese individuals and society advertising social changes, and ending injustice and discrimination.
Characteristics of Obese Individuals
High BMI is an up-to-date problem for modern society as, over the past decades, the number of obese individuals has substantially increased. In the United States, since the 1960s, the prevalence has increased from 3.4% to 39.8% of adults not involving overweight people (Waters & Graf, 2018). Such an increase in numbers leads to a variety of chronic disorders, deteriorated life quality, and elevated costs spent on healthcare services. According to the data provided by the Keiser Family Foundation (2020) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019), the highest prevalence of obesity is among non-Hispanic black individuals (38-42%). The latter is followed by Hispanic representatives (32-36%), and non-Hispanic white representatives (28-30%) (CDC, 2019; KFF, 2020). Among obese individuals, cardiac pathologies are more spread due to increased load on heart chambers and vessels. The consequences of such an increased load involve hypertension, heart failure, stroke, and insufficiency of valves.
Fat tissue can produce various hormones impacting tolerance to insulin, appetite, and the endocrine system in general. That is why obese people have higher chances of diabetes type 2 development, have increased appetite, eat bigger portions, and suffer from various endocrine disorders (Waters & Graf, 2018). Obesity is expensive for the state and healthcare services due to various chronic diseases and the need to control a patient’s condition more often than those of normal BMI (Waters & Graf, 2018). The socioeconomic status of obese individuals usually is below average. The interconnection of social factors and obesity has been studied for several decades. The American psychiatrist Albert J. Stunkard significantly impacted research on the issue and proved that obesity was inversely correlated with socioeconomic status (Pigeyre et al., 2016). Socially disadvantaged people have a higher chance of obesity, uncontrolled eating, or emotional food consumption. Obesity can limit people’s access to various professions and job opportunities influencing their income levels.
Characteristics of Adolescence and the Impact of Obesity
This paper will focus on the problem of obesity during the period of adolescence. It is a vulnerable and, to some extent, fragile period of an individual’s existence as any social issue during adolescence can significantly impact human identity formation. Obesity affects about 14.4 million children and teenagers altogether, which is 19.3% of the US population (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). The nature of obesity in childhood and adolescence is multifactorial and individual. The reasons can be genetic, epigenetic, environmental, behavioral, psychological, or pharmaceutical, and dependent on cultural and family norms. Oftentimes, the genesis of this social issue is a combination of several factors mentioned above. Young individuals facing overweight are meeting numerous obstacles due to the specifics of their growth and development. Adolescence is a transitional step between childhood and adulthood; during this period, essential transformations occur to the human body. That is why facing and solving the question of obesity from physical, mental, and social perspectives should be a major among obese teenagers.
During adolescence, humans face growth and development changes of almost all systems and organs in the body. Teenagers become physically mature; their hormones, voices, and sexual characteristics change. Some have issues with unproportionable growth and development, variably released hormones, and consequent mood changes. Teenagers tend to exaggerate and set various priorities from those in adulthood. From a social perspective, teenagers search for themselves; they can be pressed by adults to behave in particular ways, finish their education, get a job, and make more decisions independently. Identity development occurs during adolescence when teenagers improve their strong sense of self and choose various groups: social, religious, and ethnic.
Ethnicity develops in adolescence; it eventually represents acceptance of a person’s cultural, religious, and racial specialties he learns about himself. In adolescence, a person actively seeks the meaning of these characteristics and their impact on the self. A teenager compares himself with others, identifies personal custom specialties, and learns the native language of his ancestors. Ethnic or racial discrimination can cause depressive symptoms, deviant behavior, cooperation with minor groups, substance use, poor self-esteem, and demotivation in academic performance (Benner et al., 2018). As adolescence is an essential step in the formation of individuality, all types of bias can cause serious changes in a person’s character and orientation in life.
Socioeconomic class can impact children and adolescents significantly in deteriorating their health and worsening overweight issues. According to World Health Organization, the prevalence of obese young individuals in countries with emerging economies can exceed 30% (Arias et al., 2018). A similar conjecture can be made about families of low- and middle-income. A low socioeconomic class can impact the behavior, health, and self-awareness of a teenager in society. Not to mention that all the inequalities in adolescence can move to the period of adulthood and stay a problem impacting other aspects of life. Societal acceptance takes the most substantial place in teenagers’ world, and if the environment despises or shames them for appearance or income level, they can develop serious doubts and fears.
Another significant issue is the human rights of obese adolescents. Teenagers may be more vulnerable to discrimination and may be treated differently according to their appearance. Human rights regulation should focus on reconsideration of appearance bias and the perception of obese people as a minority group. Additionally, the issue intersects with social justice aspects. Providing equal social rights to all individuals regarding their health issues or appearance is essential. Obesity in adolescence significantly impacts a person’s future life and is one of the central social problems of the modern world. Providing better social services to obese teenagers can substantially enhance their future lives.
Obese Adolescents and Their Psychological and Emotional Development
Adolescence is a vulnerable and fragile period of human development. The social problems of teenagers can lead to other severe issues such as depression, anxiety, lack of confidence, and poor performance (Sagar & Gupta, 2017). Obese adolescents were proven to be victims of psychopathologies involving depressive signs, hyperactivity disorder, low self-esteem, and stress (Sagar & Gupta, 2017). The emotional development of the teenager also suffers among individuals with high BMI as they more often become victims of discrimination, bullying, and social loneliness (Sagar & Gupta, 2017). Psychological and emotional aspects directly impact teenagers’ perception of self and the outer world. Youngsters tend to feel weak, minor and judged by others according to their appearance.
Developing strategies to provide psychological help to obese adolescents can remind them of their human rights, strong sides, and individuality in general. A social worker can become a partner of an adolescent with obesity, show a deep understanding of his struggles, and propose various ideas to enhance the current situation. Social work professionals can promote human rights to the clients and explain that oppression and biased attitudes are weak sides of the human community. The client can start psychological therapy proposed by a social worker to improve self-esteem, start believing in self and achieve better outcomes in life. The psychological course aims to fight fears, and weaknesses, improve mood, reduce stress, and feel more confident. Teenagers depend on public opinions; they can conform their behavior to the standards of society. The social worker’s role is to explain to the client the possibility of all people being wrong, prejudiced, and insecure. Stigmatization, discrimination, and shaming are those examples of human behavior that are inappropriate and should be changed, and the client has no guilt in peoples’ behavior preferences.
A client can be proposed to take cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with a therapist. Social work professional, while cooperating with a client, can find major reasons for unhealthy eating. Sometimes, the reasons hide on a subconscious level, for example, a client replaces lack of attention with foods (Miri et al., 2019). On such occasions, CBT can help the client understand his motives of cravings and specialties of the eating behavior. It can become easier for a client to accept the problem, identify true reasons, and try to find possible solutions following the therapist’s advice. CBT helps disclose the nature of eating initiators, fight false beliefs about the client’s obesity, control personal emotions, and deal with social pressure. CBT proposes strategies to help reduce unpleasant feelings regarding body image, personal appearance, and social discrimination. CBT helps reduce excitement occurring during food cravings and deal with unstable emotions; the program teaches to control mood and spontaneous behaviors. Involving CBT might be useful for individuals with dependent on food attitudes, and the program can bring outstanding outcomes.
The social worker is able to create local support groups of teenagers with similar issues that can help each other and share experiences. Creating an atmosphere of sympathy and comprehension will help the client feel accepted and wanted in society. Support groups also gather peers with the same issue and develop better communication skills, self-esteem, and self-confidence. At the same time, in these groups, healthy lifestyles can be promoted and studied. Many teenagers with obesity have the will to lose weight and feel better but do not know enough about sports and proper eating behaviors. It is essential to provide a client with information and the effects of obesity on health from a long-term perspective.
Involving a client in programs providing access to data and activities can also be a part of the plan. Some programs are governmental and propose help to minor social groups for free. For instance, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (2022) has a program for obesity prevention and healthy weight. This project includes nutrition education, planning, and realizing dietary interventions. Social work professional also shows an example to the client by advocating safe, healthy communities, and affordable healthy foods. Following major rules promoted by a social worker is essential for the trust of the clients and their ability to rely on the worker’s plan. Creating a trustworthy relationship is the basement of future close relations and success.
The client might have obesity due to comorbid pathologies, genetic specialties, or constant medication intake. Such clients do not need healthy lifestyle promotion; they might even follow some restrictions regarding diet and routine. These teenagers need extra protection from social discrimination as the reasons of overweight are different. Adolescents that cannot impact their BMI should be supported by the environment, medical, and social workers. The state should develop accessible psychological programs to help teenagers understand, accept, and be proud of themselves. Family members should provide the teenager with love, care, and support, creating a positive and motivating environment. Fighting all the doubts a teenager can develop about himself can help him find a place in society and have strong self-esteem.
Obese Adolescents and Family Environment
The lack of support on the part of family members and specialties of upbringing lead to the prolongation of obesity among teenagers to further periods of life. A familial environment is known to be the one majorly influencing eating behavior and general food attitudes of children and adolescents (Carbert et al., 2019). Some adolescents possess unhealthy habits from their family and their upbringing. Not all family members understand the rules of a healthy lifestyle; some of them teach their children in theory and behave differently in real life. A child eventually copies the model of behavior that is done in action, not in words. The earlier the issue of obesity is faced with the help of the family environment, the smaller the chances are of being obese in adulthood (Bagherniya et al., 2017). That is why adolescence can be called the last developmental phase of life when solving the issue can still be relevantly easy.
With the help of social workers, it can become even simpler. Metabolism in childhood and adolescence is faster and more flexible for changes. Creating proper habits and food behavior can help obese teenagers lose weight and prevent a variety of chronic disorders in the future. Paying more attention to obesity as a social problem and perceiving adolescence as the last easy period of problem-solving can help reduce the prevalence of obesity in adulthood significantly. Health promotion and proper nutrition behavior should be taught in the early stages of life involving school workers, governmental programs, support from a social worker, and the family.
Behavioral theory with family interventions can help enhance the issue of obesity among teenagers. Such a strategy is especially helpful in families with close interconnections between family members. Adolescents during this period still have a special connection with their parents, and their participation can play a decisive role in problem-solving. Obesity-related intervention programs involving parents can help enhance the eating attitudes of the young members and the quality of their diet. Attracting the family of a client to the plan can help the latter feel supported and not lonely. Solving the issue from various sides can help a teenager form a character and become more motivated and focused. The plan can also be helpful to parents as some of their unhealthy practices can change. A social worker cooperates with family members and discusses their daily habits and routines. Parents and family members need to understand the importance of their support and example with action. It is hard to change a lifestyle for a person when other neighbors are eating unhealthily and are not physically active.
Family discussions can be helpful for both a client and other family members. The research by Carbert et al. (2019) proved that healthy parenting practices and their positive attitudes to physical activity directly impact adolescents’ physical activity. The latter might lead to a more dynamic way of lifestyle and less risk of having a high BMI. Educating parents to promote healthy food preferences and various activities to their children can become a catalyst of problem-solving. Making an effort to make lifestyle changes can bring positive outcomes to the client and his surroundings so that the new healthy lifestyle can integrate deeper into a social unit.
It is harder to achieve results if family members are not cooperative or do not want to participate in changing the client’s habits. The client can feel apathy from close relatives and lose motivation. Neglected issue of obesity leads to a variety of health disorders, low school and work performance, and poor productivity. Then the plan has to orient on the client and his peers on the client’s involvement and trust in a social worker. Explaining the importance of healthy eating and lifestyle, and educating the population at schools and colleges without pressing obese individuals and their discrimination can help form the right orientation and behavioral strategy for society.
Conclusion
Obesity is a serious modern issue for the population of the United States. It is not only a health concern but also an economic burden for a state. High BMI leads to deteriorating life quality, development of various chronic diseases, and stress level elevation of healthcare working professionals. Fat tissue leads to hypertension, diabetes type 2 and indirectly causes heart failure, strokes, fractures, and other serious conditions. This assignment disclosed the issue of obesity during adolescence from various sides. Adolescence is one of the most important developmental phases of human life, during which the issue of obesity must be solved. To reduce the number of obese individuals in adulthood, it is essential to solving the issue in the earlier stages of life because a person is more flexible for changes.
Social workers have to pay special attention to teenagers as they tend to have unstable psychological and emotional conditions, prioritize social acceptance and popularity among peers, and are more vulnerable to bullying and discrimination. Psychological impacts from being obese can cause depression, anxiety, stress, low school performance, and low self-esteem. Being obese in adolescence is more painful to as it can leave a scar in human personalia and self-perception. Teenagers form their character and identity during this period, and acceptance from peers is more important for them than for people of other ages. Special attention should be paid to obese teenagers due to comorbidities, genetic factors, and medication intake. Psychological support and family participation play leading roles in their self-acceptance and successful social integration.
Social workers should work with a client and the community to promote human rights, equality, and social justice. A social worker also develops a plan for a client to help fight psychological, and emotional issues, organizing support groups and proposing cognitive-behavioral therapy if needed. Social aid can focus on familial support and participation to create a proper environment for teenagers with high BMI. Family members should be involved in problem-solving as their habits and routines impact the client’s behavior. Family members can be easily integrated into every part of the social plan as well as into cognitive-behavioral therapy. Cooperating with parents and educating them on the principles of healthy eating and lifestyle can create the proper environment for a client and increase the motivation for weight loss. The changes might be useful for all family members and become inevitable parts of their lives.
Considering the problem from the perspective of human rights, providing all obese adolescents the equal access to health resources are essential aspects of social aid. It is in the power of social work professionals to create multi-component interventions attracting to the problem of obesity doctors, psychologists, self-management programs, pharmacological strategies, and state organizations. Currently, the issue of obese adolescents is underestimated, and with the help of social work professionals, it can attract more attention from people of various spheres. Developing strategies for protecting and helping teenagers with this social problem can enhance their future life, improve their self-esteem, and open new opportunities.
Summary and Suggestions for Future Studies
Considering human rights and principles of social justice of obese adolescents can help their self-esteem and vanish the feeling of being a minority group. Governmental policies and medical resources should aim to be equal for all teenagers with obesity seeking health aid (Craig et al., 2018). Impacting the social network of obese teenagers and its influence on their dietary preferences can help change the paradigm of adolescents’ lifestyles and reorient their habits (Smith, Zivitch & Frerichs, 2020). Not all teenagers understand the risks related to increased BMI. Obesity and overweight that are not solved during childhood and adolescence are risks of early death (Waters & Graf, 2018). Integrating educating films into the school curriculum and increasing the hours for physical activities can be part of the solution. From a social ecological perspective, it is essential to spread the effects of a healthy lifestyle among adolescents to impact the social network of obese teenagers and the dietary favorites of the latter.
Social attitudes should be changed to more tolerant and respectful conduct. The law shapes the action in the community, and it must protect obese people from discrimination, and appearance “bias,” and regulate social norms. The law should also allow equal access to health care resources according to principles of social justice. Psychological aid, medical services, and social work services should be accessible to teenagers. Supportive attitudes from these branches can create a habit of seeking help from the right resources. Adolescents oftentimes hide their fears and disappointments inside, follow deviant behaviors, and develop alcohol and cigarette addictions. Proposing help on time can be decisive in teenagers’ future life and protect them from serious mistakes.
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