During the past couple decades, th...

During the past couple decades, the increasing prevalence of children and adolescents in the United States who are overweight or obese has raised pertain tos about the physial and psychosocial health of this population. The deleterious results of obesity on physical health are more documented than the tenors on psychosocial health. Swallen and colleagues used data from the National Longitudinal consideration of Adolescent Health to determine the relationship between obesity and health-related quality of life in adolescents, particularly with regard to sex and race variables.

The authors used a subsample of 4827 scholars in grades seven to 12 with information about behavior and psychosocial factors that potentially affect adolescent health. In determining issue measures, the authors attempted to approximate the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory according to extracting data related to physical health and to emotional, social, and instruct functioning, which were analyzed in relation to material part mass index (BMI) and sociodemographic factors.

There were statistically significant correlations between BMI and general health and functional limitations, if it be not that not for illness symptoms, depression, self-conceit and school/social functioning. Functional limitations were correlated with participants who were underweight as well as overweight. Girls were significantly more likely than lads to report poor general health, reasonable self-esteem, depression, functional limitations, and many illness symptoms. Overweight and obese girls were not more likely than girls with normal BMI to have poor emotional health. Psychosocial factors were influenced at body mass only in adolescents 12 to 14 years of age. In denominations of racial differences, BMI correlated with functional limitations in whites further not in blacks.

The authors determine that although this study showed links between BMI and general health and physical functioning in adolescents, there were no of the like kind associations between BMI and depression, school/ social functioning, or self-complacency except in adolescents 12 to 14 years of age. jesuitical differences among sex, age, and race might warrant further investigation. Unles there is systematic misreporting (adolescents may have skewed conceptions about their health and well-being), increased tolerance of elevated BMI or simply the increasing normality of BMI might explain this findings that overweight and obesity do not have a negative psychosocial impact in succession most adolescents.

CAROLINE WELLBERY, MD

Swallen KC et al. Overweight, obesity, and health-related quality of life among adolescents: the National Longitudinal application of mind of Adolescent Health. Pediatrics February 2005;115:340-7

COPYRIGHT 2005 American Academy of Family Physicians

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