[Study on the relationship between mental health and overweight, obesity, different sex among junior middle school students].
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationships between overweight, obesity and indices as satisfaction of life, trait anxiety, depression, self concept etc. in male and female junior middle school students.


METHODS
A questionnaire survey was administered to 1818 participants in a middle school in Hefei city, Anhui province. This contents of survey would include Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Trait Anxiety Inventory (TAI), and Piers-Harris Children's Self Concept Scale (PHSCS). Anthropometric measures were taken together with the calculation of body mass index (BMI). The students were divided into normal-weight, overweight and obesity groups by BMI separate criteria. Gender differences of mental health status and group differences of mental health among normal-weight, overweight obesity students were analyzed. Relationships between BMI and the scores of MSLSS, CES-D, TAI, PHSCS were estimated among boys and girls respectively.


RESULTS
The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity of boys (21.5%, 7.7%) were significantly higher than in girls (8.0%, 2.8%). Difference of the MSLSS scores in gender was significant among normal-weight group (P = 0.002). The difference of the CES-D scores in gender was significant among overweight group (P = 0.046). There were significant group differences of the CES-D scores, TAI scores, and PHSCS scores among normal-weight, overweight and obese girls (P < 0.05). Both the CES-D score and TAI score of obese girls were higher than normal-weight girls (P = 0.012 and P = 0.035). The PHSCS score of obese girls was lower than normal-weight girls (P = 0.014) and the group difference of the CES-D score was also significant between overweight and normal-weight girls (P = 0.025).


CONCLUSIONS
Both prevalence rates of overweight and obesity of boys were higher than that in girls. Nevertheless, level of mental health level among girls with overweight and obesity were lower than that in boys.
Que
Min
M
Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.
Tao
Fang-biao
FB
He
Chun-yan
CY
Zhang
Li-hua
LH
Zhu
Peng
P
D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires