Adolescents starting college often tend to put on unnecessary weight as they indulge in eating junk food and avoid exercising. According to a team of researchers from the University of Missouri, a brief intervention of 30 minutes is enough to bring these teens back to a healthy lifestyle.
"What we found in our study was that getting personalized feedback about health issues is important," Matt Martens, associate professor of counseling psychology in the College of Education, said in a news release.
"It may not matter how long or short that intervention is; what seems to be important is getting the feedback. These simple interventions can be used at a doctor's office prior to an appointment, possibly while the individual is sitting in the waiting room. The idea behind these methods is to open the conversations, identifying the unhealthy lifestyle decisions and setting goals for the future."
For the study, the participants filled a 10-minute questionnaire. Based on the details, they received a feedback sheet. Later, participants discussed the feedback sheet with a clinician for 25 to 30 minutes.
Researchers followed the participants for one month and found teens receiving the intervention starting to engage in regular exercise compared to others.
Investigators recommend the young generation to go for such early interventions to avoid spending a high amount of money in the future.
"The whole point of all these studies on exercise, interventions and lifestyle decisions is to keep people from getting sick," Martens said. "In the end, it comes down to individuals making good lifestyle decisions, but sometimes it's important for healthcare providers to bring certain decisions that do not contribute to a healthy lifestyle to the attention of the patient."
Results of the study have been published in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health.
These findings come at a time when U.S. is struggling hard to prevent obesity. A body mass index above 30 is considered to be obese. According to American Obesity Association, about 30.4 percent of teenagers are overweight and 15.5 percent of teens are obese.
