Mental Health and Mood
The mental health status of children is tied to healthy behaviors that affect obesity, including eating patterns, physical activity, and interest in participation in activities. Mood disorders have been associated with weight problems and may affect childhood and adolescent obesity. Both depression and anxiety were recently found to be associated with an increased BMI among children and adolescents 8-18 years of age compared with healthy children.[46] Furthermore, a prospective study reported that risk for major depressive disorder or anxiety disorder increased 4-fold over 20 years among women (but not men) who were obese as adolescents.[47] In addition, a study of more than 13,000 adolescents showed a strong association between self-perceived weight and depressive symptoms.[48] This study highlights the importance of weight stigmatization in society and the effect that self-perception of obesity has on children's mental health.
A population-based study using data from the National Survey on Children's Health has identified differences in ethic groups regarding depression and anxiety associated with being overweight.[49] In this study, increases in depression, anxiety, behavior problems, feelings of worthlessness, and bullying by peers were reported for overweight whites and Hispanic children 12 to 17 years of age but not among overweight black children of the same age.[49]
Child overweight and obesity was associated with presence of family stress in a recent study.[50] The types of stress implicated in obesity among young children included lack of cognitive stimulation and lack of emotional support. For older children, stress related to obesity included mental health problems, physical health problems, and financial strain in the home.[50] The study results indicate that reducing stress is a potential factor in combating childhood obesity.