children s health issues
Preventive Health Care Visits in Adolescents
Nutrition and exercise
Overweight and Obesity in Adolescents are common in the United States and are associated with heart disease and type 2 diabetes. To combat the risk of obesity, parents should continue to provide adolescents with healthy food choices and limit their intake of unhealthy foods. Soda and excessive fruit juice drinking have been implicated as major contributors to obesity. Inactivity is directly linked to obesity. Screen time (for example, television, video games, cell phones and other handheld devices, and noneducational computer time) may result in inactivity and obesity. Limits on the time a child spends using devices with screens should start at birth and be maintained throughout adolescence. Participation in sports and physical activity should continue to be encouraged as adolescents age. 