Spike In Teen Obesity Explained By Decreased Calorie Burn In Puberty

The rise in obesity rates during adolescence may be due to a substantial fall of calories burned during the rapid growth phase of puberty, finds a new study by the University of Exeter Medical School in the United Kingdom.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 20 percent of adolescents age 12-19 years are obese in the United States. Obese teenagers are more likely to have prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels indicate a high risk for the development of diabetes.

Adolescents who are obese are also at a greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, social and psychological problems, and they are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

Read more: Spike In Teen Obesity Explained By Decreased Calorie Burn In Puberty

During puberty, the number of calories girls and boys burn while at rest plummets.

Source: MedicalNewsToday

Virtual Babies Don’t Discourage Teenagers From Wanting Real Ones

Here’s one way not to prevent a young girl from getting pregnant: Ask her to care for a virtual baby. New research finds that teenagers given lifelike baby dolls (pictured) as part of a program to dissuade them from wanting a real baby became pregnant at a higher rate than peers in a control group.

The study followed 3000 Australian girls who enrolled when they were between 13 and 15 years old and were followed until they turned 20. Only half the group received the intervention, which encourages girls to think twice about becoming pregnant because babies have intensive, constant needs that can compromise a teenager’s lifestyle and goals.

The centerpiece of the program—variations of which are popular in many developed countries—is a weekend with an “infant simulator” that cries and must be “fed, burped, rocked, and have its nappy changed.” According to a paper published today in The Lancet, 17% of the girls who received the intervention became pregnant by age 20 versus 11% in the control group. (Abortions were high in both groups, and averaged 57%.)

Read more: Virtual Babies Don’t Discourage Teenagers From Wanting Real Ones

Source: sciencemag