The impact of sexual harassment on obesity in female adolescents: An update and perspective to control

Abstract

Background and aims: Sexual victimization, happened during childhood and beyond, is known to be a substantial contributing factor for obesity development later in life. This work aims to bring about updated information on the relationship between sexual harassment and obesity.

Methods: Based on an intensive scientific literature review in Google Scholar, Pubmed databases, the total of 106 studies (N = 141,199) were assessed including 52 studies on the connection between negative lifetime impacts and obesity, 11 studies on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms with proposed biological mechanisms related to obesity, 15 studies on the relationship between major depressive disorder (MDD) symptoms and obesity, 11 studies on the body dismorphic disorder (BDD) and 17 studies on the binge eating disorder (BED) were also examined to evaluate the association of obesity and traumatic life experiences.

Results: Although 40-70% of all cases related to obesity have been considered to be hereditary, many experts argue that deviations in the environment contribute to excessive food intake and depressed physical activity in numerous Western countries. Several studies have identified that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may be nearly as common as obesity. However, just a few researchers have taken notice of the possible connection between these two.

Conclusions: By mentioning some possible obesity-related psychological disorders in response to CSA, we present updated information on the relationship between sexual harassment and obesity.

Keywords: Control; Female adolescents; Obesity; Overweight; Sexual harassment.