A longitudinal study of childhood depression and anxiety in relation to weight gain.
Adult mood disturbances are highly correlated with obesity, although little is known about the developmental relationship between mood disorders and weight. This study investigated the relationship between childhood psychopathology and weight over the course of 3 years. Body Mass Index (BMI) percentiles and demographic data of children (ages 8-18) with depression (n = 143) or anxiety (n = 43) were compared to healthy controls (n = 99). Both childhood depression (chi(2) = 4.6, p = 0.03) and anxiety (chi(2) = 6.0, p = 0.01) were associated with increased BMI percentiles. Compared to controls, BMI percentiles of depressed females over the course of the study differed profoundly (chi(2) = 7.0, p = 0.01) and BMI percentiles of anxious females approached significance (chi(2) = 3.7, p = 0.06). Males with anxiety showed a greater trend towards overweight (chi(2) = 3.3, p = 0.07) in comparison to controls. The major finding that depression and anxiety are associated with increased BMI percentiles in a non-obese sample suggests that childhood psychopathology is an important factor that should be carefully monitored.
Rofey
Dana L
DL
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Weight Management & Wellness Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. dana.rofey@chp.edu
Kolko
Rachel P
RP
Iosif
Ana-Maria
AM
Silk
Jennifer S
JS
Bost
James E
JE
Feng
Wentao
W
Szigethy
Eva M
EM
Noll
Robert B
RB
Ryan
Neal D
ND
Dahl
Ronald E
RE
D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D018579:Patient Selection; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors