Obesity, Pregnancy and the Social Contract with Today’s Adolescents
Adolescent health and well-being are of great concern worldwide, and adolescents encounter particular challenges, vulnerabilities and constraints. The dual challenges of adolescent parenthood and obesity are of public health relevance because of the life-altering health and socioeconomic effects on...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/17/3550 |
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| author | Cristiana Berti Shirin Elahi Patrick Catalano Zulfiqar A. Bhutta Michael B. Krawinkel Francesca Parisi Carlo Agostoni Irene Cetin Mark Hanson |
| author_facet | Cristiana Berti Shirin Elahi Patrick Catalano Zulfiqar A. Bhutta Michael B. Krawinkel Francesca Parisi Carlo Agostoni Irene Cetin Mark Hanson |
| author_sort | Cristiana Berti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Adolescent health and well-being are of great concern worldwide, and adolescents encounter particular challenges, vulnerabilities and constraints. The dual challenges of adolescent parenthood and obesity are of public health relevance because of the life-altering health and socioeconomic effects on both the parents and the offspring. Prevention and treatment strategies at the individual and population levels have not been successful in the long term, suggesting that adolescent pregnancy and obesity cannot be managed by more of the same. Here, we view adolescent obese pregnancy through the lens of the social contract with youth. The disruption of this contract is faced by today’s adolescents, with work, social and economic dilemmas which perpetuate socioeconomic and health inequities across generations. The lack of employment, education and social opportunities, together with obesogenic settings, increase vulnerability and exposure to lifelong health risks, affecting their offspring’s life chances too. To break such vicious circles of disadvantage and achieve sustainable solutions in real-world settings, strong efforts on the part of policymakers, healthcare providers and the community must be oriented towards guaranteeing equity and healthy nutrition and environments for today’s adolescents. The involvement of adolescents themselves in developing such programs is paramount, not only so that they feel a sense of agency but also to better meet their real life needs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:24:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0ac7d5aae6b245309577a359f0c33eee |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:24:28Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-0ac7d5aae6b245309577a359f0c33eee2023-11-23T13:52:20ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432022-08-011417355010.3390/nu14173550Obesity, Pregnancy and the Social Contract with Today’s AdolescentsCristiana Berti0Shirin Elahi1Patrick Catalano2Zulfiqar A. Bhutta3Michael B. Krawinkel4Francesca Parisi5Carlo Agostoni6Irene Cetin7Mark Hanson8Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Pediatric Unit, 20122 Milan, ItalyDirector Corset Economy, London NW7 3TD, UKMother Infant Research Institute, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston 02111, MA, USACentre for Global Child Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, CanadaInstitute of Nutritional Sciences—International Nutrition, Justus-Liebig-University, 35392 Giessen, GermanyDepartment of Woman, Mother and Neonate, “V. Buzzi” Children Hospital, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, 20154 Milan, ItalyFondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Pediatric Unit, 20122 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Woman, Mother and Neonate, “V. Buzzi” Children Hospital, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, 20154 Milan, ItalyInstitute of Developmental Sciences and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UKAdolescent health and well-being are of great concern worldwide, and adolescents encounter particular challenges, vulnerabilities and constraints. The dual challenges of adolescent parenthood and obesity are of public health relevance because of the life-altering health and socioeconomic effects on both the parents and the offspring. Prevention and treatment strategies at the individual and population levels have not been successful in the long term, suggesting that adolescent pregnancy and obesity cannot be managed by more of the same. Here, we view adolescent obese pregnancy through the lens of the social contract with youth. The disruption of this contract is faced by today’s adolescents, with work, social and economic dilemmas which perpetuate socioeconomic and health inequities across generations. The lack of employment, education and social opportunities, together with obesogenic settings, increase vulnerability and exposure to lifelong health risks, affecting their offspring’s life chances too. To break such vicious circles of disadvantage and achieve sustainable solutions in real-world settings, strong efforts on the part of policymakers, healthcare providers and the community must be oriented towards guaranteeing equity and healthy nutrition and environments for today’s adolescents. The involvement of adolescents themselves in developing such programs is paramount, not only so that they feel a sense of agency but also to better meet their real life needs.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/17/3550adolescentsobesitypregnancyparental obesitynutritionsocial context |
| spellingShingle | Cristiana Berti Shirin Elahi Patrick Catalano Zulfiqar A. Bhutta Michael B. Krawinkel Francesca Parisi Carlo Agostoni Irene Cetin Mark Hanson Obesity, Pregnancy and the Social Contract with Today’s Adolescents Nutrients adolescents obesity pregnancy parental obesity nutrition social context |
| title | Obesity, Pregnancy and the Social Contract with Today’s Adolescents |
| title_full | Obesity, Pregnancy and the Social Contract with Today’s Adolescents |
| title_fullStr | Obesity, Pregnancy and the Social Contract with Today’s Adolescents |
| title_full_unstemmed | Obesity, Pregnancy and the Social Contract with Today’s Adolescents |
| title_short | Obesity, Pregnancy and the Social Contract with Today’s Adolescents |
| title_sort | obesity pregnancy and the social contract with today s adolescents |
| topic | adolescents obesity pregnancy parental obesity nutrition social context |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/17/3550 |
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