Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Oct;38(10):1335-42.
doi: 10.1038/ijo.2014.40. Epub 2014 Mar 11.

Obesity impairs academic attainment in adolescence: findings from ALSPAC, a UK cohort

J N Booth  1 , P D Tomporowski  2 , J M E Boyle  3 , A R Ness  4 , C Joinson  4 , S D Leary  4 , J J Reilly  3
Affiliations
Free PMC article

Obesity impairs academic attainment in adolescence: findings from ALSPAC, a UK cohort

J N Booth et al. Int J Obes (Lond). 2014 Oct.
Free PMC article

Abstract

Objective: While being overweight or obese in adolescence may have detrimental effects on academic attainment, the evidence base is limited by reliance on cross-sectional studies with small sample sizes, failure to take account of confounders and lack of consideration of potential mediators. The present study aimed to address these limitations and examine longitudinal associations between obesity in adolescence and academic attainment.

Design: Associations between weight status at 11 years old and academic attainment assessed by national tests at 11, 13 and 16 years were examined in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Healthy weight was defined as body mass index (BMI) Z-score <1.04; overweight as BMI Z-score 1.04-1.63; obesity as BMI Z-score ⩾1.64.

Participants: Data from 5966 participants with objectively measured weight status were examined: 71.4% were healthy weight (1935 males; 2325 females), 13.3% overweight (372 males; 420 females) and 15.3% obese (448 males; 466 females).

Results: Girls obese at 11 years had lower academic attainment at 11, 13 and 16 years compared with those of a healthy weight, even after controlling for a wide range of confounders. Associations between obesity and academic attainment were less clear in boys. The potential mediating effects of depressive symptoms, intelligence quotient (IQ) and age of menarche in girls were explored, but when confounders were included, there was no strong evidence for mediation.

Conclusions: For girls, obesity in adolescence has a detrimental impact on academic attainment 5 years later. Mental health, IQ and age of menarche did not mediate this relationship, suggesting that further work is required to understand the underlying mechanisms. Parents, education and public health policy makers should consider the wide reaching detrimental impact of obesity on educational outcomes in this age group.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Reilly JJ, Methven E, McDowell ZC, Hacking B, Alexander D, Stewart L, et al. Health consequences of obesity. Archiv Dis Childhood. 2003;88:748–752. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Reilly JJ, Kelly J. Long-term impact of childhood obesity on adult morbidity and premature mortality: systematic review. Int J Obes. 2012;35:891–898. - PubMed
    1. Caird J, Kavanagh J, Oliver K, Oliver S, O'Mara A, Stansfield C, et al. EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London; London; 2011. Childhood Obesity and Educational Attainment: a Systematic Review.
    1. Gregg P, Propper C, WashbrookUnderstanding the relationship between parental income and multiple child outcomes: a decomposition analysisin: CMPO Working Paper Series No. 08/193. Centre for Market and Public Organisation: Bristol, UK, 2008
    1. von Hinke Kessler Scholder S, Propper C, Windmeijer F, Davey Smith G, Lawlor D. The effect of child weight on academic performance: evidence using genetic markers, 2009. Available at: http://www.bris.ac.uk/ifssoca/outputs/conferences/kesslerpaper.pdf (last accessed 28 February 2014).

Publication types