ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Mental health plays a major role in children and adolescents with obesity. The aim of this study was (1) to compare mental health in children with obesity with the background population and (2) to investigate if mental health changed during one year in an obesity treatment program. METHODS: Data on self-reported mental health was collected in 107 children and adolescents (mean age 13.2 years) with obesity at first visit in an obesity treatment program and at one year follow-up (n = 47). Mental health was assessed by eight questions from the Danish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) questionnaire: (1) self-rated health (2) life satisfaction (3) feeling low (4) body-image (5) loneliness (6) self-esteem (7) self-efficacy and (8) social competence. Data was compared to a reference population based on HBSC data. BMI-SDS was based on Danish reference values. RESULTS: Children and adolescents with obesity had significantly higher odds of reporting negative body image and feeling low and lower odds of reporting high self-rated health and high self-esteem compared to a reference population. There was no difference between the groups regarding life-satisfaction, social competence, self-efficacy or feeling lonely. There were no significant changes in mental health from first visit to one-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the mental health difficulties in children and adolescents with obesity, and the importance of addressing these issues in obesity treatment. The results also indicate that children with obesity have psychosocial resources that should be exploited in treatment protocols.
Subject(s)
Body Image , Body Mass Index , Mental Health , Pediatric Obesity , Self Concept , Self Efficacy , Humans , Adolescent , Male , Female , Child , Pediatric Obesity/psychology , Pediatric Obesity/therapy , Body Image/psychology , Denmark , Personal Satisfaction , Follow-Up Studies , Self Report , Social Skills , Loneliness/psychologyABSTRACT
WHO declared obesity a disease in 1979 and has named childhood obesity one of the most pervasive health challenges in the 21st century. The Danish Paediatric Society concordantly declares childhood obesity a chronic disease. Early treatment of obesity can prevent the disease from escalating into significant psychosocial and somatic complications arising in most organs with the potential to compromise normal growth and development. As argued in this review, the recognition of childhood obesity as a disease will help to increase the development of new treatment measures and health policies to prevent and manage obesity.