Life Satisfaction and Emerging Health Behaviors in Underserved Adolescents: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Objectives: Obesity rates continue to rise in underserved adolescents. Obesity is linked to poor mental health outcomes. The purpose of this narrative review is to examine existing literature on life satisfaction and obesity-related emerging health behaviors (sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, sleeping patterns, and screen time) in underserved adolescents. Methods: We conducted a review of articles published in English between January 1995 and November 2021 to develop a narrative summary. Results: In general, few studies have been conducted investigating life satisfaction and the emerging behaviors of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, sleeping patterns, and screen time use with adolescents, especially underserved adolescents. In the studies reviewed, we noted links between lower life satisfaction and more than once-a-day sugar consumption, including sugar-sweetened beverages, lower life satisfaction and lower sleep duration, and life satisfaction and screen-time, with both positive and negative relationships shown. Conclusions: Given the limitations in the number of studies, recommendations are provided for future research.