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| Flawed
Media Coverage of Teen Obesity |
Posted:
09.29.03 | |
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Kevin Zhou argues that media coverage of obesity in teens overlooks the flipside
of the story -- the dangers of teens who will do anything to stay slim. | |
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In the month of August, the media's reporting on one topic almost reached the
level of obsession. No, not the war in Iraq. Not the California recall either.
Surprisingly, the subject was teenage obesity. The biggest names in newspaper,
magazine and television carried headlines that declared obesity in younger people
to be both dangerous and growing. Stopping it, the news reports insisted, should
be a top priority. | |
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| The
stigma of obesity | |
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But we teenagers already knew that. Obesity has always had a stigma surrounding
it. On television shows and in movies, the skinny characters are the popular and
successful ones, while the obese characters are primarily comic relief, their
weight the punch lines. Pop culture has taught us that being skinny is good, and
that being overweight is not. Students know that putting on too many pounds may
put their social status in jeopardy. At my high school, the overweight teenagers
often don't fit in and are victimized by bullies. Yet, the news media continues
to emphasize that point, painting obesity as an imminent threat that must be quashed,
or else. I am concerned that this fierce, one-sided reporting will force
teens currently suffering from a solvable weight problem to turn to life-threatening
ways of losing the extra weight. This doesn't mean obesity is not a major
risk to good health. Statistics indicate that the number of children affected
by obesity has tripled in the last 30 years to nearly 15% of everyone from age
six to 19. This is disturbing because teenage obesity leads to heart disease,
diabetes and other complications later on in life. | |
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| Dangers
of one-sided reporting | |
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But we must remember that fighting obesity takes time. Teenagers shouldn't
drop double digits of weight over a short period. Rather, responsible weight loss
occurs over months and years. Eating right and exercising will combat obesity,
but these methods work slowly. After watching reporters lambaste obesity,
teens might find simply not eating more attractive than putting on pounds. And,
unfortunately, the news media has made little mention of the eating disorders
that teenagers adopt in an effort to stay frighteningly skinny, and has given
little warning against resorting to such extremes. | |
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| Pushed
to be skinny at all costs | |
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I have observed first-hand how the need to be skinny has pushed students over
the edge. I knew a student who was hospitalized in intensive care because of anorexia.
This teenager suffered from serious medical problems, including heart palpitations
and anemia, which are characteristic of the eating disorder. Facing life-threatening
conditions, she fortunately received the treatment necessary to save her life. And
she is one of the lucky ones. Teens with eating disorders face a mortality rate
12 times higher than that due to all causes of death among females age 15 to 24,
according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Death comes in the form
of cardiac arrest, electrolyte imbalance and suicide. So if news organizations
want to report on teenage obesity, they should take up the responsibility of providing
both sides of the issue and discuss anorexia and bulimia as well. We teenagers
cannot trade obesity for eating disorders. For all its drawbacks, obesity is infinitely
better than anorexia and its close friend, death. --
Kevin Zhou is a sophomore at Monte Vista High School in Danville, CA | |
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It makes me want to come to school every day, and it has given me something that I’m really good at.
