Obesity is a condition in which a person's excess body fat causes a negative effect on his health. People are considered to be fat or obese if their body mass index (BMI) is more than the measurement done by dividing a person's body weight by his height. The body mass index has to be uniform with the height otherwise a person's body is defined as obese. Obesity is found in all genders and age group. The number of obesity cases in people has been increasing drastically over the past four decades. Its affected by people who consume large amounts of foods, who do not practice any physical activity or who acquired this condition genetically are the cause of this increase. According to American Medical Association, obesity is classified as a disease.  Because overweight causes problems for children as well as adults impacting some people emotionally. It affects relationships with families, peers etc and causes self image to decline. According to a study conducted by American Fitness the results say that the percentage of overweight students have a great chance of not attending college than adolescents who are not overweight (Welch 54). With the rise in obesity rates, children and adolescents have been affected socially and economically especially for women who are obese. It is associated with several immediate health and social problems in young people including sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease, blood pressure and relationship gaps (Welch 54-55).  Experts believe that if one is able to change a families eating habits like eating green vegetables and avoid having fast foods can be an effective way to combat obesity. Adequate physical exercise is also required to burn the energy we get from food in the form of calories. To reduce obesity rates, we need a lot of support from parents who play an important role in guiding their child's taste towards food. It is from the home where most things taught can be adapted practically in life.

Parents play a huge role in changing or influencing a child's approach towards certain food and drinks. Obesity is a condition that forms from one's lifestyle and demographic factors. Consumption of soda and energy drinks also lead to obesity.  It's our choice that decides us to adapt certain types of food which causes obesity. Parents should try to avoid having fast food which is the main diet for a lot of people, a main cause of obesity among children and youth. It is also advisable for parents to take a walk with their children everyday which will boost them physically and mentally. A case study had been done for a twelve-year-old girl from Boston named Alexa Andrews who is different from other girls in her age group. She loves to listen to rap music, watch movies and have snacks. She was taken to a doctor recently for a checkup, and it was found that she had diabetes. The doctor had prescribed medicines for diabetes that she would have to take for the rest of her life. Eating snacks, a lot while watching a movie, television and playing videogames can destroy the bodies calorie count. It is advisable not to eat while watching television as it is difficult to keep a track of what one is eating. People tend to eat more while engaging in passive entertainment which may lead to various diseases. These are the kind of issues which Alexa had to go through.

Alexa was five feet four inches weighing nearly 200 pounds. She was one of the few young African Americans who had to deal with obesity and the complications after it such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Her mom was concerned about her weight when she was just five. She did notice a dark rash on Alexa's neck and later took her to the doctor who said that Alexa had to avoid eating juice and potato chips. It was difficult for Alexa to follow as she was a child at that time and she would cry when she was not offered juice and potato chips. After a few years she was determined to change her diet with the advice her mom gave which caused a huge change in her. She started to exercise, spend less time on television, computer games and took her medications on time. Her mom said that she lost more than 20 pounds, which made her confident to go for shopping and go to school (Beal 123-24). This example clearly shows that parents do have an upper hand in understanding things better than children. Another main cause of obesity is the consumption of energy drinks. Companies advertise their products in such a way to gain children's attention and interest in items that have high sugar and high calories. A big example for that would be the Sun Top juice which claims to be source of Vitamin C and no artificial colors used. These products might confuse people to buy such products because they prescribe nutritional choices such as Vitamin C or other claims which are good for health. No one takes the initiative to find out the truth about the product by filing a case against the product. The law prohibits deceptive products that mislead people by providing such information (Rutkow 450-51). People should not blindly believe such markings on the outside of the products such as good source of vitamin D, no artificial colors used etc.

Studies shows that obese youth who suffered an injury would take a longer time to recover than healthy people. Obesity and injury are prevalent more among adolescents. For any person to recover from an injury, it requires certain factors such as family support, nutrition and body mechanics. Family support plays a major role to get a person cured and helps to get back to school. In a study conducted among 316 youth participants to find out the time taken to get cured from an injury, it was found that there was an increased risk, more time taken and the trauma being witnessed among obese participants than the normal ones (Warsh. Joel, Ian Janssen, and William Pickett 143-49). Situations are not pleasing even in the Middle East related to obesity and overweight. The rise in the obesity rates is creating a huge burden on the public health system. In Saudi Arabia, a country that has developed in the field of marketing nutrition's changes and urbanization estimated that almost 26.6% adolescents aged 13- 18 are under the obesity category.  The trend has increased since the past two decades. The consumption of soda, fast foods, spending hours on television and computers were found to be the main reasons behind the obesity factor. Evidence proves that obesity is a condition affected by many sources such as demographic, lifestyle and genetic factors. A study was conducted to ask participants how often they would consume sugary items such as donuts, chocolates and beverages. A huge number of participants was found consuming sugary products more than 5 days in a week. One needs to cut down on sugary items because they help to build fat more than any other product (Al Hazzaa 2-9).

Abdominal obesity is more prevalent among people in the Middle East. Reduced intake of vegetables and skipping breakfast increases abdominal obesity. It has been found that excessive screen viewing may lead to cardiovascular disease. Due to the excessive use factor, adolescents show less interest in performing vigorous exercises in order to stay fit such as going to the gym, playing soccer or basketball. It has been found that the intake of fruits and vegetables helps one to cut down abdominal fat more in adults than children. Study also shows that male adolescents have a higher percentage of obesity rates compared to that of a female. This is the same case for males and females in Saudi Arabia (Al Hazzaa 10-11). Study shows the main way to prevent obesity is by practicing a healthy diet, performing regular exercises and cutting down on sugary items and beverages. The ways to combat obesity should be promoted more in schools and hospitals so that people are aware of the consequences and effects they will face later due to this.

Family- based interventions are the most effective way in solving this problem. Families should concentrate more on a healthy diet such as vegetables, fruit and perform exercises subsequently. The family provides the right environment in order to promote healthy food habits and decrease the consumption of high calorie foods. Parents are the most influential people in our lives and it is the best to follow their instructions in order to lead a happy and healthy life.

Keeping a regular check on your body weight can help you determine what foods should be avoided in order to maintain shape. It is advisable to avoid sugary items, energy drinks, fast foods etc. Having a healthy diet helps us to live longer and be flexible in activities we pursue in.

      
