Adiposity in adolescence increases

Adiposity in adolescence is often favored by overweight of the mother during pregnancy

19/11/2014

According to the German Diabetes Association (DDG), about 200,000 adolescents are affected by an extreme form of obesity. Already at the age of 15, some young people already weigh 150 kilograms. The health consequences of such pronounced obesity are dramatic. Type 2 diabetes, joint disorders, sleep apnea syndrome, and hypertension are just a few of the conditions associated with severe obesity. But also the psyche of those affected is often burdened by obesity.

During pregnancy, maternal obesity also promotes overweight in the baby
While over the years some adolescents become overweight as a result of an unhealthy lifestyle, other children are already born with a high weight. Therefore, together with the German Obesity Society (DAG), the DDG points out that expectant mothers can influence the weight and thus the health of their children during pregnancy. With sufficient exercise and a healthy diet, pregnant women can not only keep their weight within the normal range, they also prevent the most common complication during pregnancy, known as gestational diabetes, whose main risks are overweight. Around four percent of all pregnant women were affected by the DDG and the DAG last year. Ideally, overweight women should reduce their weight before pregnancy. In this way, they simultaneously reduce the risk of obesity in their child.

Adiposity in adolescence often means exclusion
„Obese young people are prone to depression and self-injurious behaviors, they also become more likely to commit delinquency“, explains Professor Martin Wabitsch, Head of the Department of Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology, Diabetology and Obesity at the University Hospital for Paediatrics Ulm and President of DAG. The victims are marginalized, teased and even discriminated against by their peers. At the same time, they often withdraw from their parents and classmates. For therapy programs and counseling, however, the young people are hardly motivating. Most of them have already made some failed diet attempts. „In order to get in contact with such adolescents, therefore, the weight loss is not the focus of our offers“, so Wabitsch. „The primary objectives are to increase self-esteem, job search assistance and the early diagnosis and treatment of sequelae.“

Affected teenagers should not follow the motto „They are to blame themselves“ be discriminated against and marginalized. „But we also have to recognize that affected young people are not solely responsible for their situation and need all-social help“, stresses Wabitsch. Inclusion measures such as support for vocational training and job creation are necessary. „We need regulations and cooperation on the equal rights of people with obesity.“

In the context of the 8th Autumn Conference of the DDG and the 30th Annual Conference of the DAG, experts from November 21 to 22, 2014 in the Congress Center Leipzig (CCL) will be discussing adiposity in adolescents. One focus should be integration into the labor market. (Ag)