By: Gracelyn Williams
In today’s generation there are many bad and unhealthy habits today’s youth have picked up either unconsciously or to relieve stress. Some bad habits include overeating, too much screen time, lack of physical activity, smoking, and bad oral hygiene.
“Healthy weight can make good habits and help with alertness, regularity, and optimal performance level,” Bellbrook high school counselor Debra Sanderman said.
According to the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, dietary habits can reflect parenting skills: “Parents play a vital role in providing healthy meals, setting an example through their eating behaviors, and creating a positive food environment at home.” Parents being aware and educated on what their kids should eat can positively affect their child’s needs. But, youth being educated on what they should and should not be putting into their body can help them to advocate for themselves.
“Maintaining a healthy weight and keeping hydrated is important especially for the athletic students,” Sanderman said.
Too much screen time is another one of those bad habits. “The new phone ban in schools helps kids distinguish the virtual world and helps students keep focus on their academic studies,” Sanderman said.
Parental influence can play a part in this as well depending on how strict family screen time rules are. The side effects of prolonged screen time are behavioral and psychological issues. It can also lead to obesity, vision problems, and sleep disturbance. Parents being educated on the issue can inform them to make better decisions for their teens.
Teenagers are supposed to average 60 minutes of exercise once everyday. Parental influence and lack of facilities can play a big part in teenagers’ lack of physical activity. It can lead to obesity and cardiovascular disease. Behavioral change and family support can help to motivate teenagers to exercise more.
“I am very militant that my kids get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night, it really makes a huge difference,” Sanderman said. The average teenager is supposed to get 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night. Bad sleep can lead to fatigue, low energy, and dizziness. Making sure you get enough per night is really important to how you function during the day.
Smoking is one of the worst bad habits amongst teens. If the parents are chain smokers, that could lead their kids to think that smoking isn’t that bad and allow them not to be scared to fall into peer pressure. Smoking especially at a younger age can increase your chances of disease like cancer, popcorn lungs, respiratory issues, and cardiovascular disease when you’re older.
Oral hygiene is another one of those self care habits that some teens might ignore. Though it can lead to dental problems, it can cause pain and discomfort, and therefore lead to bad sleep. School-based educational programs and community-based initiatives and programs can help.
