whose fault is it if 15 yr old is 80 lbs overweight?

I think the biggest fault is with the parents. They could see he was getting large and kids can be so cruel to keep him from being teased they should have stopped it before it got out of hand. Maybe they are overweight also and don't have healthy food in the house, or exercise at all. If they don't buy stuff that kids shouldn't eat, the kid can't eat it. Probably a lot of it is commercials also. They make all the food look so good. They also make it seem like you have to eat their product to be accepted. I feel sorry for him. Being overweight when your a teen is the worst! Not to mention the health risks! Even if your not really overweight people think they are especially teenagers.

Oh yes, I think ALL parents should take health and nutrition classes and be encouraged to teach their kids healthy eating habits as well as exercise. I was a kid that was always underweight. I could and did all that I wanted and never gave it a thought. I got older and was on some meds that caused a weight gain for the first time in my life. That weight gain went beyond what I was comfortable with. I really had a tough time turning around a lifetime of eating habits. So not just for the overweight kids but for the health of ALL kids we should be teaching our kids the value of nutrition. Nutrition and exercise should be part of a kid's habits regardless of being overweight or not.

In the younger years of life he can be taught the correct foods and exercise to do. Later its up to the person alone to keep things in check. Its truely not the fault of the parents. It more the fault of the person it happen to. Lame to put the blame on someone else.

I think it's a combination of himself, his parents, and his teachers. His parents should teach him how to take proper care of himself, and so should his teachers, but he has some responsibilities of his own when he's 15.

There are a lot of factors that can lead to obesity, and it doesn't really help to point the blame at any one person, especially if there are other factors at work besides overeating, not exercising or eating the wrong kinds of foods. I would be more concerned about why this teenager's doctor has not mentioned that he needs to lose weight and tested him for diseases and other genetic factors that can lead to obesity. Once that is done, then the doctor can properly suggest a diet and exercise routine that will not only be healthier but also help the boy to lose the weight and tone up his muscles. I would definitely suggest that the parents take this boy to the doctor and have the doctor give him a physical and do other tests before they try putting him on a diet or any kind of exercise routine. If there are underlying causes for his obesity, then they can be made a lot worse by improper diet (even though it might seem "healthier") and the wrong kinds of exercise, and it could lead to worse health conditions and greatly increase his risk of a heart-attack, even at such a young age. The parents may have helped contribute to his obesity due to their diet and family routine (lack of exercise), but that does not mean that they are the sole cause of it. If they ignored his doctor's suggestions, then I can definitely understand holding them accountable for his situation. He is also old enough to shoulder some of the blame if a doctor has stated that he needed to change his eating and exercising habits. He did not get to be eighty pounds overweight over night or even in a couple of months, however, so I would be very worried about why a doctor has not addressed this issue with the parents. If he has not seen a doctor in a long time, then that would greatly concern me, especially since most schools require physicals on a regular basis.

Thats a hard question. I think it is both of their faults equally. I have always been over weight my whole life. I was over 150+ pounds over weight by the time i was 16 (i have lost 150 so far)I am still over weight. My mother never made me exercise or tried to make food healthy for me. She never really talked about my weight or forced me on a diet. Now that i have lost most of the weight we have talked about it and she feel like it was all her fault. I think its was partly her fault but she never made me eat, she never forced me not to go outside. I think the reason she never tried to help me before was because she didnt want to bring it up and hurt me.

As a 15 year-old, he is really only emerging from childhood, which is why he is just starting to realise his predicament. He has probably been overweight for years which indicates that his parents/guardians have not looked after him properly, and taught him to eat well and got him into good habits of exercising. It's easy to blame the parents and they clearly take the bulk of the blame, but I would point out that anyone (friends and family etc..) that had the chance to do or say anything and yet didn't... takes some of the blame. Anybody can be a parent, you can't make them take classes, and if it were voluntary, do you think the lazy parents would bother going to the classes?? It's not rocket science, you don't need to be taught that healthy food and exercise is good! It's just easier to feed kids cr@p foods to keep them quiet - plain lazy...

I don't think there is a need to point the finger. All that will do is hurt somebodies feelings and possibly ruin relationships. What is important is that they are now realizing there is a problem. Only now can they, as a family, move forward and learn together how to eat and live a more healthy life.

It's probably a combination of things, including an unhealthy diet, sedentary parents, etc. But it could also at least partly be genetic or due to a medical condition.

hello macdingolinger, I think it's all about the family matters. What kind of food the family serving to their dinner table. What kind of diet the family has had. Well,the parents needs to talk with the boy...and will help him to have a diet and loose program. It would be very harmful to his health if he won't stop his eating habit. Being obese will cause a lot of health problem and complications too. No one is to be blame...it is a matter of self discipline. Partly the parents were to blame...but,the concern person also had fault why he grows that big. Have a good day always

Hi macdingolinger! Being obese or fat is sometimes genetics... Or there is imbalance hormone or something... I think the child should be checked by a proffessional doctor... The child should also have the initiative to lose weight and the parents should give constant reminder and support to the child. Both parents and child has someting to do with it... it is not right to point fingers....

hello macdingolinger, i think something wrong with the metabolism of that boy why he became so overweight and not able to control his appetite. parents should bring the boy to an expert doctor or to an Endocrinologist. family lifestyle is also consider as one of the factor . if the members of the family eat lots of oily foods. sweets, salty foods.. and not eating a balanced diet.. definitely the boy will become overweight.

Unfortunately, it is a big problem. Most of our children are really overweight. I would say it started with the parents. It is any parent,s responsibility, to make sure that their child or children eat healthy and have at least one activity. You do not have to become a superstar and what you do, just get some exercise. But teenagers, should also realize, as they grow older, that they have to start looking after themselves, as well. It starts at a young age and it is harder as you get older, but parents need to make a point in giving children healthier food and attention when they see that a child is getting chubbier. (no offense intended)

I think it is not his fault alone. His parents and even the society are responsible for that. Technology is going to make everything easier and easier so that there is no need to move yourself. Works and jobs are moving from the hands and feet to the brains and tongues. In such a modern world one should be careful for his/her health. Even walking for half an hour per day or some light exercises at the weekend is better than just eating fast foods and looking in the monitors.

To me it starts in the beginning teaching children how to eat. So I blame the parents because they let this happen. When I was growing up I had to get permission to go into the fridge or pantry. We were not allowed to eat whenever we wanted to. Having a glass of chocolate milk was a treat for us. We would have breakfast, lunch in school, a small snack when we got home from school, dinner, and maybe a dessert depending on our behavior. We didn't eat fast food, only home cooked meals. There was never junk food in the house. Our birthday parties consisted of cake, ice cream and soda, but that was only for birthdays. So its all the parents fault as I see it. They really need to change the kid's eating habits for good and get him into an exercise program. What a shame!

I feel horrible for kids in this situatin. This is 100% the parents fault!! That ist he major problem with our society. Kids aren't taught how to eat properly or exercise properly and they become overweight. It is sad. Dont they realize that kids pick on other kids for being different.

Macdingolinger, Is he still growing? Because he is only 15 years old does not mean he stopping growing taller. Is his parents overweight and tall? Sometimes all he may need to weight training to tone up the muscles and loose some weight. It could be heritery in the family genes etc... Now if the parents are average weight or thin... then I do not think it is genes and he needs activities like baseball, football or hockey to use and redistribute that weight in the right way. He is young there is hope for him and his diet should change too. These are my personal opinion Thanks and have a great day Sincerely Unique16

First of all, I guess we cannot blame in entirely on the parents just because they have not taught their son good health habits. The son is also to blame for allowing himself to get into a situation wherein he has ballooned to more than 80 lbs his weight. But the nice thing is that he has acknowledged to himself that he has gained weight. That is a start. I would like to ask if he loves to eat the starched and the sweets and simple sugars? Some products that even claim to be fat free have some hint of the simple sugars in them, so better be careful. Some families use food as a reward, and some families have comfort foods, that when you tell them not to have it, he has a possibility to resist dieting because he is feeling deprived. Sweets are comfort food. If he wants to lose weight, then he should stay away from the simple sugars, and the potatoes, and the ice cream, and the cake, and the softdrinks, and rice. I have stopped eating rice, simple sugars. I have lost the weight.

I think the parents should not be blamed. The parents only wanted the best things and foods for their children. They provide all the nutritious foods for healthy reason. That is one way of showing how much our parents loves us, that they care much about our foods. However, they did not teach us how to become over weight of course. Being over weight is a personal choice. It is just a sign of a weak self discipline to control ones apetite. Regular exercise and proper diet is the best remedy, not pointing out the blame and yet you keep eating much.

i think the kid should take the most resposibility. is he a boy who likes eating very much? i know a philipine boy who likes eating very much. he's 13 years' old and he know he needs to lose his weight and his parents also ask him not to eat the snack at night. but he also buys and eats some when his parents are not at home.