DOHA: Families are encouraged to support their adolescents' healthy lifestyle development through problem-solving, clear and direct communication, expression of thoughts and feelings, development of alternatives, decisions, actions and evaluation of effectiveness.
Dr Sarah Rashid (pictured), consultant in community medicine and health at Rawdat Al Khail Health Centre, Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), says families play a key role in developing autonomy and joint decisions around diet and exercise, contributing to healthier food choices. Families are encouraged to set behavioural standards and apply them in a flexible way, as flexible behavioural control is correlated with effective family functioning.
Factors that adolescents consider important in supporting a healthy lifestyle include peer relationships, mobile applications, and the level of autonomy parents give their adolescents regarding food choices. Adolescence is the stage between childhood and adulthood, between the ages of 10 and 19. It is a unique stage in the human development and socialization process. It is a critical time that lays the foundations for health and creates opportunities for change. Adolescents experience rapid physical, cognitive, and psychosocial growth, which influences how adolescents feel, think, make decisions, and interact with the world around them.
Dr. Rashid explains that adolescents face several challenges that create stress, such as finding their identity, adapting to the expectations of school, family and friends, and making decisions about the future. Adolescents who have been exposed to school violence, either as victims or perpetrators, are less able to cope with stressful situations. Similarly, adolescents who suffer from cyberbullying have higher levels of anxiety and depression and lower self-esteem. Self-esteem refers to both one's subjective assessment of personal worth and the feedback one receives from the interpretation of other subjects.
“Experiencing stressful situations increases the likelihood of adopting unhealthy behaviours, such as using more harmful substances like tobacco and alcohol. Adolescence is crucial for future health and disease, as habits acquired during this period, such as unhealthy food intake and the development of chronic diseases, may continue into adulthood,” added Dr Rashid.
