Childhood Obesity Personal Stories

Children suffering from chronic obesity oftentimes suffer from depression and related self esteem issues. A recent survey has established that children and young adults who struggle with obesity and overweight problems tend to have a higher rate of depression than non-obese children and young adults. The survey focused on about 1,000 children over the course of eight years, with the goal being to interpret the psychological effects of obesity. What the study found was that childhood obesity does indeed carry very severe psychological consequences and can be linked to numerous mental disorders.

While the social media often carries stories about the effects of overweight and obesity on young women, one of the surprising conclusions of the study was that it is typically overweight boys who suffer from obesity related depressions. Yet both of the obese boys and girls tend to be sufferers of what is known as oppositional defiant disorder. This mental problem is characterized by hostile, angry behavior towards authority. One thing that the survey was unable to establish is the causality of the problem or, in other words what comes first, whether the obesity or the depression and related psychological problems.

One hypothesis of the diseased case is that both cases of obesity and depression stem from a similar chemistry of the brain. The fact is that obesity badly affects different people in different ways. This is why various treatment methods must be tailored to each individual's experience. Another recent study on childhood obesity also took place over a period of eight years, during the course of which nearly 1,000 children between the ages of nine and sixteen were studied. The body weight, height, psychiatric status of each child and their vulnerability towards psychological problems was monitored during this period. About 73% of the overweight children fell in to the non obese category; 15% of them were chronically obese; 5% were obese only as children; 7% were obese only as young adults. As there is no standard measurement of childhood obesity, those people who were classified as obese were significantly overweight.

What the survey on childhood obesity found was that the early obesity is a much larger problem in the United States than anyone had previously thought. It occurs at several times the rate that was announced in the year 2000 by the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey also concluded that chronically obese children are much more likely to have psychiatric problems related to depression and oppositional defiant disorder. While the former disorder occurs more usually in boys, the latter occurs in both sexes. The children of normal body weight are not nearly as at risk for these sorts of psychological problems.

Parents should keep in mind that the rapid weight loss is not a healthy or proper method for young children to employ, as their bodies and minds are still developing. Actively encouraging strict dieting can often fuel the fire of obesity related depression. Unless a doctor assigns the child to be put on a diet for specific medical reasons, dieting should not be encouraged in young children, as it could also deprive them of the nutrients and energy they need to grow.

• Matt Thompson
• 13/02/2009, 2:59 AM
• 0 Comments