The Importance of Teen Health

Did you know that a lack of physical activity causes one in ten premature deaths worldwide? The health of teens is decreasing every year. The physical activity of teens has declined 32% in a single generation. This is all because of the new technology and a change in eating habits. For the first time, this generation may die before their parents. If teens don’t pay attention to what they eat, the amount of exercise they get, and avoid drugs, the health issues with teens will keep increasing.
Do teens ever go home and just spend hours watching TV or on the computer? About 50% of teens will come home and just watch TV or go on the computer, instead of getting exercise. Studies show that if teens don’t get a minimum of thirty minutes of exercise a day, they will gain weight and become obese. All because of the lack of exercise, 30% of teens become obese or overweight. Research shows that, “Our brains simply may not be built for an environment without physical activity.”
How many people have ever thought about the weight they could gain every time they choose not to exercise and just sit and eat? Just eating right is not enough to maintain a healthy diet; teens need to exercise. Drugs are a big problem in a teen’s life. Drugs can cause teens to have a big issue in the future and can cause them to not be themselves. An easy way to avoid drugs is to stay away from people who are doing drugs. Studies show that, “Teen brains are only about 80% developed and don’t fully mature until their mid-20’s.”

Have teens ever thought about the effects of drugs or the number of people who try an illegal drug for the first time? There are about 4,300 teens that try an illegal drug for the first time each day. If teens don’t avoid drugs, like marijuana, then when they get older, they will have depression, stress, motivation, and reward problems. Teens must avoid drugs in order to have a healthier life than the teens that use drugs. Most teens say that the meals served at schools are unhealthy and very fattening.
But the real fact is that school meals are healthier than any fast food teens get. If a school meal is left outside for more than four hours, it is tossed. An article in the Argolog says, “Everything from the burritos to the cookies is made from scratch every morning. ” This proves that the food is healthy and not left over from any other day. The district of Garden Grove serves about 41,455 healthy meals at schools per day. Teens will be healthier if they eat the food served at school rather than leaving school and getting fast food.
The food served at school must be checked by the USDA and must meet the guidelines, or it can’t be served. The overall health of teens has slowly been decreasing throughout the years. The health of teens is causing experts to believe that teens may die before their parents. In order to maintain a healthy life, teens must exercise daily, avoid drugs and alcohol, and eat healthy foods. Every teen needs to exercise about thirty to forty minutes a day, which might seem like a lot of time, but in reality, it will change teen’s life.