difficulties have a greater risk of becoming obese in adulthood, new
research has found.
In the study, published online Sept. 11 in the journal BMC
Medicine, researchers from the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental
Psychiatry Center at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London,
examined data from about 6,500 members of the 1970 British Birth Cohort
Study.
Participants in the 1970 study had been assessed when they were 10
years old for emotional problems, self-perceptions and their body-mass
index (BMI), a height-to-weight ratio. They reported their BMI again at
age 30.
The researchers found that children with a lower self-esteem, those who
felt less in control of their lives and those who were often worried were
more likely to gain weight over the next two decades.
It was also noted that girls were more affected by these factors than
boys, the study authors pointed out in a news release from the journal's
publisher.
The findings also suggested that childhood emotional problems may be
another factor that can lead to excess weight, according to the
researchers.
"While we cannot say that childhood emotional problems cause obesity in
later life, we can certainly say they play a role, along with factors such
as parental BMI, diet and exercise," study co-author Andrew Ternouth said
in the news release.
Early intervention for children suffering from low self-esteem, anxiety
or other emotional challenges could help improve their chances of being
healthy later in life, the researchers added.
"Given the growing problem with childhood obesity in many western
societies, these findings are particularly important," the authors
concluded. "They may offer hope in the battle to control the current
obesity epidemic."
More information
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more information on
obesity.
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