Childhood Obesity Takes Psychological Toll, Too – Yahoo! News
Childhood Obesity Takes Psychological Toll, Too – Yahoo! News
The ballooning waistlines of children hit the spotlight when
Michelle Obama admitted publicly her daughters had an unhealthy body
mass index. And while many urge kids to slim down to avoid heart
disease and other physical ailments, the emotional consequences from
teasing and low self-esteem could be just as debilitating, scientists
say.
About 37 percent of children in the United States are overweight and
roughly 16 percent of children ages 2 to 19 are obese, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among 6- to 19-year-olds, obesity has tripled over the past two decades, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
We've heard that these fat children may be set up for a life at the
doctor's office with health risks including type-2 diabetes, high
cholesterol and blood pressure, and sleeping problems. But these same
kids are more likely to have a hard time with emotions and with their
peers.
“Overweight kids are more likely to have depression and low
self-esteem, to be teased or bullied, and to bully other children,”
said Catherine Davis, associate professor of pediatrics at the Medical
College of Georgia. “These can be serious problems for these children.”
Researchers point out that no matter your age, carrying around lots of extra weight has its psychological consequences.
“Overweight and obesity are terribly stigmatizing conditions,
regardless of age,” said Sara Gable of the University of Missouri,
Columbia. “Living as a member of a stigmatized group is stressful and
can produce feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.”
Gable said research on other stigmatized groups, such as racial
minorities, shows these negative feelings can interfere with academic
performance and other aspects of a person's life, and “there is good
reason to think” these findings would apply to children struggling with
weight problems, Gable told LiveScience.
While some responded to the First Lady's divulging of her kids' weight problems
as insensitive, psychologists say pretending the issue isn't there
doesn't help anyone involved. And they offer tips for how parents can
be sensitive to their child's feelings while encouraging healthy
behaviors.
Toughest spot: the playground
Playground teasing may seem like a childhood rite of passage, but
overweight children get more of it. And that name-calling can grate on
a child's self-esteem. “A lot of who we are is based on how others
interact with us,” said Eric Storch of the Departments of Pediatrics
and Psychiatry at the University of South Florida. “With kids who are
overweight they internalize others' feedback, 'You're fat, you're no
good, no one wants to go out with you.' That contributes to anxiety and
depression.”
He estimates rates of depression are as high as 20 percent in kids who are overweight.
“It's not simply being overweight that leads to depression,” Storch
said in a telephone interview. “It's being overweight and getting a
bunch of crap about it from peers that leads to anxiety or depression.”
While one paradigm suggests weight leads to teasing, which then
leads to psychological issues, another reverses those arrows to suggest
depressed kids are less likely to exercise and more likely to gain
weight.
In fact, Storch and his colleagues studied 100 overweight children
and those at risk for being overweight, ages 8 to 18, to find out the
effects of bullying. About a quarter of the children reported
significant problems with bullies during the prior two weeks. The
study, published in a 2007 issue of the Journal of Pediatric
Psychology, revealed bullying often caused kids to avoid situations where they had been picked on, such as gym class and sports fields.
Storch's team also found bullied kids were more likely to be depressed, lonely and anxious.
“When you think about it, it makes intuitive sense, when you
consider the hallmark signs of depression – sadness, fatigue, lack of
interest in things you used to like,” Storch said in a statement about
the study. “When kids are having a tough time with peers, and
struggling with depression, then this can translate to reduced rates of
physical activity.”
Problems start early
Though steering clear of physical activity may, in part, lead to a
heavy child, it doesn't explain the weight gain in very young kids.
Before the age of 2 and as early as three months old, infants could be
on the path toward obesity, according to a new study published this month in the journal Clinical Pediatrics.
And just as the extra weight comes early in life, so do the social
and psychological consequences. A nationally representative study of
about 8,000 children who were followed from kindergarten through third
grade, beginning in 1998, showed the psychological ramifications of
being plus-sized start young. For instance, by third grade overweight
kids reported less favorable peer relations and feeling unpopular.
The study, published last year in the journal Applied Developmental
Science, also showed overweight girls were also more likely to act out
- fighting and arguing – than slim peers, according to their teachers.
Kids with weight problems
from the start (in kindergarten) were more likely to be sad, lonely and
to worry than kindergarteners without extra poundage, according to
reports by their teachers and the kids themselves. As overweight kids
entered higher grades, these feelings just got worse.
The fact that overweight boys and girls reported more loneliness and
worrying suggests that, as early as first grade, they may have an
understanding of the stereotypes that accompany living with the stigma,
the researchers say.
What's a parent to do?
For parents wanting to help their children slim down while also
keeping self-confidence intact, the key is balance, researchers say. A
mom who's constantly nagging Billy about his weight is not going to see
a positive outcome, Storch said. But neither will a laissez-fare parent
who lets a kid eat with abandon.
Parents should let children know they are concerned about their health, not kids' looks, Davis said.
“Pretending the child is not overweight or obese sends a harmful
message that they should ignore their health,” Davis said. “Rather than
being punitive or setting dietary rules that only the child has to
follow, have the whole family improve their diet and physical activity
habits together.”
And when overweight or obese children get out and exercise, the results can be a boost to their self-esteem, in addition to any physical gains.
A study published last year in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology
suggested 40 minutes a day of exercise lessened depression in
overweight kids and made them feel better about themselves.
The study, conducted by Davis and her colleagues, included more than
200 overweight children who either continued their sedentary lifestyle,
or engaged in 20 minutes or 40 minutes of fun activities that increased
heart rate, such as running games, jumping rope, basketball and soccer.
“Just by getting up and doing something aerobic, they were changing
how they felt about themselves,” said the lead researcher and Davis'
colleague at MCG Karen Petty. “Hopefully these children are taking home
the idea: Hey, when we do this stuff, we feel better.”
Overall, the emotional consequences are just as bad as the physical ones.
“Comparing the emotional consequences of pediatric obesity to the
health related consequences is sort of like missing the forest for the
trees,” Gable said. “Obesity has the potential to interfere with all
areas of human functioning; that's part of what makes its treatment
during childhood such a tricky undertaking. Children suddenly get lots
of attention for the exact reason that makes – at least some of them -
feel really bad.”
Tips for overweight children
Gable and her colleagues put together some tips to help children
navigate a world they say is “critical of body size.” Among them:
Create an environment where children learn to feel good
about themselves. For instance, you could introduce children to
different hobbies, sports and neighborhood activities. And encourage
them to pursue what they enjoy. And help children recognize that taking
care of their bodies allows them to do what they like to do.
Help
children learn how to deal with teasing and bullying. You could role
play (and talk about) ways to avoid reacting to unkind words and
actions, and how to calmly walk away from these peer provocations.
Also, help children to develop positive “I messages,” such as “I'm
going to ignore these words because I know they are not true.”
Set
and maintain limits on the amount of time children spend watching TV
and playing computer games. Make sure to turn off the TV during meals
and when no one is watching it. Bottom line: make television a special
activity, not a routine one.
Help children to like healthy
foods. Involve them in menu planning and have them munch on fruits and
veggies between meals rather than fatty, sugary and salty snacks.
The researchers also suggest you keep track of the visual media that
children see. Limit the number of fashion, glamour and muscle-building
magazines that come into your home.
Parents Blamed for Childhood Obesity
3 Simple Steps Can Cut Childhood Obesity
Exercise Improves Kids' Academics
Original Story: Childhood Obesity Takes Psychological Toll, Too
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