Children are often cruel to one another, and one can often see evidence of this when it comes to sports and the infamous “choosing of sides”. The slow, unskilled, the unpopular and, finally, the overweight child, are nearly always chosen last. This action may have devastating and long-lasting effects on a child’s self-esteem and spirit. While physical problems, such as hypertension, orthopedic problems, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and sleep disorders are complications associated with obesity, the psychological effects associated with obesity can be just as devastating to a child and his or her family.
Being obese today has an impact on both how children view themselves and how others see them. Many children with weight problems develop low self-esteem, which may in turn, give way to emotional and behavioral problems such as depression, defiance, bullying and poor school performance.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has defined specific criteria for both overweight and obesity. Overweight is defined as having an age appropriate BMI between the 85th and 94th percentile, while obesity is defined as having a BMI in excess of the 95th percentile. BMI can be useful in estimating whether a child is overweight. It is calculated by dividing a child’s weight in kilograms by his or her height as meters squared. The incidence of obesity has doubled among 6- to 11-year-olds and tripled in 12- to 17-year-olds since 1980.
When working with the obese child, the physician should be looking not only at physical problems related to and often caused by obesity, but behavioral and emotional problems as well. The psychological impact of obesity has far-reaching implications for a child as they mature into young adults.
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