Weight status and emotional well-being: longitudinal findings from Project EAT.
OBJECTIVE
To learn more about how overweight is associated with emotional well-being in adolescents and examine change in associations over time.


METHODS
A prospective study was conducted with a sample of 2,516 adolescents who participated in Project EAT-I (1999) and Project EAT-II (2004).


RESULTS
At baseline, overweight participants had lower body satisfaction and decreased self-esteem as compared to normal weight participants. Additionally, an association was found between overweight and depressive symptoms among males during middle adolescence. Longitudinal findings suggest that the adverse impact of overweight on emotional well-being persists into young adulthood, including a marked increase in depressive mood among overweight males between early and middle adolescence.


CONCLUSIONS
The persistent nature of the association between overweight and emotional well-being suggests that the normal developmental process of adolescence will not "take care" of this association. Instead, clinicians should regularly screen overweight adolescents for markers of poor emotional well-being and consider intervention when appropriate.
Loth
Katie A
KA
University of Minnesota, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, 1300 South Second Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA. fall0075@umn.edu
Mond
Jonathan
J
Wall
Melanie
M
Neumark-Sztainer
Dianne
D
D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image; D001835:Body Weight; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D020377:Self Efficacy