The emotional impact of obesity on children

Abstract

Background: Childhood overweight and obesity has become a global epidemic affecting children of all ages and ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. While the physical and financial consequences are well documented, little research is available on the emotional effect of overweight and obesity on children and adolescents.

Objectives: To assess the emotional effect of overweight and obesity on a child's self-esteem and self-concept.

Search strategy: The following databases were searched: CINAHL, Clinical Pharmacology, Health Source-Nursing and Academic Edition, MEDLINE, Pre-CINAHL, Psychological and Behavioral Sciences Collection, PsycINFO, and Sociological Collection, along with the Cochrane Library, Joanna Briggs Institute, National Institute of Health (NIH), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). SELECTION CRITERIA INCLUDED: Studies published from January 1995 to December 2005 whose primary aim was to investigate psychological impact of being overweight or obese on children and adolescents of both genders and all ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Studies of 50 or more participants with outcomes that included an assessment tool of psychological measurement and weight or body mass index (BMI), and were in English or translated to English were considered.

Findings: All participants reported some level of psychosocial impact from being overweight or obese. Younger children, girls, and those with little control over eating suffered the greatest consequences.

Conclusions: Evidence to determine the emotional impact of being overweight in children and adolescents is limited. There is even less research focused on the efforts to address the problem of low self-esteem, depression, and other emotional consequences. More attention should be focused on the emotional effect of childhood overweight and obesity in order to provide more holistic care for this pediatric population.