Do memes contribute to obesity among teens? Study says yes

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El Paso – Nearly 20 percent of high school students in Texas are considered obese and the state ranks fifth in the U.S. for high school students who are obese, according to the website The State of Obesity. At the same time, Hispanic children in Texas have the highest rate of childhood obesity, or 21.9 percent, followed by non-Hispanic blacks with a rate of 19.5 percent and non-Hispanic whites with a childhood obesity rate of 14.7 percent, according to the Texas Medical Association. Obesity among the youth ages 10-17 accumulated a total of 18.5 percent within the state. And, for the Paso Del Norte region, almost 40 percent of residents between the ages of 18 and 29 are considered obese, and one in three of all El Pasoans are considered obese or overweight. Reasons for obesity in teens range from personal behaviors including eating habits and physical activity to genetics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Screen time is one of the major factors contributing to the rise in childhood obesity rates. (Diana Arrieta/Borderzine.com)

Childhood obesity is of particular concern in the Borderland

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EL PASO — Fresh fruits and vegetables are two food types children should be eating every day, but, not very many kids eat what they should and that is provoking a dangerous rise in child obesity. “Things would go bad pretty quickly, and on top of that not very many people bought a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables,” says Cynthia Martinez, who worked for her parent’s grocery store in high school. “People, especially parents shopping for their kids, purchased Mexican candy, and chips and sodas for their kids,” Martinez said. “We should be the healthiest at this age, yet I don’t think any of my friends can run a mile without stopping,” says Delyn Berry, 17, a student at Andress High School. “I think if kids knew that they needed to do it to be healthy from a young age, and that message was being brought to them, they’d be more interested in sports and stuff.